Pirate's Price (2 page)

“Implicitly.”

Vega closed the doors and moved to stand
beside the other man. They exchanged a glance filled with meaning
-- and hunger. “This is Umar. He was the queen’s protector and
consort.”

More like he was the
royal
consort.
Sexual tension crackled between the two men.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

He acknowledged her greeting with the barely
perceptible incline of his head.

“Some in my kingdom presume my queen never
conceived because I never shared her bed. For the first few solar
cycles that wasn’t far from the truth. I am by far more attracted
to men than women, but under certain circumstances I am able to
function with a woman.”

“Are you sure it’s wise to tell her all
this?” Umar asked in an anxious whisper.

Vega chuckled. “She will not be shocked by
our relationship. Trust me.” He rested his hand on the younger
man’s back with obvious familiarity. “I suspected the queen had
taken a lover and I didn’t begrudge her the pleasure, but when I
came face to face with the proof of her indiscretion I had a most
unusual reaction.”

“You were aroused?”

“Quite. I had never seen anything so erotic
as the pleasure Umar wrought in my queen.”

She looked into Umar’s shimmering eyes. The
hostility was gone, yet his shuttered expression was even more
disconcerting. “Did you realize he was watching you?”

“Oh, yes.” A smile curved his sensual
lips.

“What about the queen? Did she know she was
being observed?”

“Not at first,” Vega replied. “I summoned
Umar and for a time he came to me after she fell asleep. There was
a certain appeal to the secrecy, but she became suspicious.”

“How did the relationship progress to the
next level?”

“I visited her chamber, knowing full well
Umar was about to arrive. Her anxiety only added to my lust. I
assured her I was not really angry. Then I ripped the clothes from
her body and ‘forced’ her to fuck her lover while I watched. It was
a game, you understand. I loved my queen deeply and would never
have done anything to harm her.”

Rana looked at Umar and felt her abdomen
tighten. He was physically appealing, far more so than Vega, but
this was not the sort of relationship she wanted with her husband.
How could they ever mean anything to each other if the only way he
could tolerate touching her was as part of a complex sexual
game?

“May I ask a potentially insulting
question?”

Vega chuckled and inclined his head. “I’ll
do my best not to take offense.”

“Why is all this necessary? Is homosexuality
not tolerated by your people?”

“A king may fuck whomever he chooses in
whatever manner pleases him, but a king must also secure his
dynasty with heirs.”

“Technology makes it possible for you to
--”

“My people might turn a blind eye to
unconventional appetites, but they would never accept a child
created in a laboratory. My seed must take root in my queen the
old-fashioned way, the way the creator intended.”

“I see.”

“Do you not find Umar attractive?” He took a
moment to appreciate the other man’s attributes. “I thought you
would be relieved by this development.”

“I appreciate your honesty and I’ll do my
best to find fulfillment in our union.”

Vega’s gaze narrowed in disapproval. “Don’t
patronize me. If you cannot accept this situation, tell me
now.”

There was far more at stake than Rana’s
happiness. Her true weakness had been revealed by this debacle. If
she did anything to sabotage the treaty, her mother would take it
out on the people of Devaunt. Rana heaved a frustrated sigh. If
only she were despicable enough to order her mother’s
assassination, none of this would be necessary. But Rana still had
a soul and barring assassination, Vega was her best option.

“My last relationship was complicated,” she
told the king. “I was hoping for something simple and more
conventional this time around. Again, I meant no insult.”

“The choice is yours. The betrothal cannot
proceed until we test the arrangement. If you are willing, have
your maid undress you. If not, I understand.”

Kashi shifted her worried gaze toward the
door, the subtle gesture obvious to Rana. She smiled, trying to
soothe her handmaiden’s fear, even though her own heart was
pounding. Motioning Kashi forward, Rana turned her back on the
men.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Kashi
whispered.

“What I want is irrelevant. My people must
come first.” Kashi unfastened the back of the gown, while Rana
stepped out of her shoes. “You don’t need to stay for this. In
fact, I’d rather you didn’t.”

“But what if this isn’t a game? Some men are
aroused by violence.”

“How would you assist me if this turns ugly?
I don’t have a choice.”

“I could sure as hell run for help.”

“Stay in the hall. If I need help, I’ll make
sure you know it’s not part of the game.”

Kashi neatly draped the gown over the back
of a chair and paused for a quick bow before reluctantly leaving
the room.

“She’s going to bear witness from the
hallway, if that’s acceptable.” Rana arched one of her eyebrows in
subtle challenge.

“I suppose we can make this small
concession.” Vega proffered a goblet of dark red wine. “A toast
before we begin?”

Umar had stripped to the waist as Kashi
undressed Rana. His torso was lean and sleekly muscled. Their gazes
locked as she took the goblet from Vega. Desire smoldered in Umar’s
dark gaze, but smugness extinguished what little heat his
expression aroused. He would always be first with Vega and he
wanted to make sure she knew it.

Aching memories stirred within Rana. This
entire situation was far too reminiscent of her relationship with
Jaque. He had lavished her with affection, but he had
loved
Pavel.

She took a sip of wine as Umar kissed the
king. Umar stroked Vega boldly, his gaze still locked with
hers.

“Enough, my love.” Vega pushed Umar
backward. “I know
you
can arouse me.”

“How should we proceed, sire?”

If Vega detected the subtle mockery in
Umar’s tone he didn’t react. The king looked about the room as he
stroked his goatee. “Stand there, beside the divan. Kiss her until
she gets wet. I want her good and juicy before I interrupt
you.”

With a regal bow, Umar took her half-empty
wineglass from her hand and set it aside. He swept her into his
arms and steered her toward the low, backless couch. “You really
are lovely. I suspect we’ll get along just fine.”

Before she could judge his sincerity, his
mouth covered hers. The kiss was harsh and wet. Jaque always
nibbled at her lips and introduced his tongue gradually. Umar
thrust into her mouth as soon as their lips touched, inhaling her
startled gasp as his hand cupped her ass. He was declaring his
dominance, establishing his position in the pack. She had no
interest in being the alpha, but she’d expected a little
finesse!

“Kiss me back and curve your leg around my
hip.” He sounded impatient and annoyed.

She wanted to shove him backward and storm
from the room, but this night might well set the tone for the rest
of her life. She would not accept this sad farce without a fight.
If she felt nothing more than annoyance, she would find another way
to deal with her mother.

Pushing her fingers into Umar’s thick hair,
she took control of the kiss, slowing his pace and fitting their
mouths more snugly together. She rocked her hips and rubbed her
nipples against his chest. His cock stirred to life between them
and she explored his broad back.

“I’ve missed you,” she whispered against his
kiss moistened lips. “Each night I spend without you is agony.” She
heard Vega’s pleased chuckle, but Umar was too busy trying to
regain control of the embrace. She would soon be queen and
regardless of Vega’s feelings for him, Umar was her subordinate.
She couldn’t allow him to treat her with disrespect. “I want your
mouth on me.” Daring him to object, she urged him to his knees.
“Lick me! Fuck me with your tongue. I want my cream all over your
face when I come.” Vega made a strangled sound as she raised her
chemise with one hand and boldly caressed her smooth mound with the
other.

“Take it off,” Umar growled. “If I’m going
to eat you, by god, you’ll be naked and squirming while I do
it.”

She tugged off the undergarment and tossed
it aside.

“Very nice,” the king whispered, momentarily
abandoning his character. “Turn around. Let me look at you.”

Feminine power surged through her, new and
intoxicating. Perhaps there was some appeal to this role-playing
after all. Keeping her gaze downcast, she rotated on the ball of
her foot. A slow flush crept across her skin as Vega visually
devoured her naked body.

The pleasant moment ended abruptly when she
faced Umar again. His features were tense with barely suppressed
anger. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she reinforced her
determination and wrapped herself in her role.

“I ache, my love. Please.” Stroking her
breasts, she licked her lips and swayed toward him.

“Like this?” Umar grasped her hips and
pushed his tongue into her folds. He flicked her clit, the touch
firm and sudden. She gasped. “Or like this?” He traced her crease
over and over. Heat spiraled into her belly and beyond, making her
nipples tighten. Teasing her mercilessly, he licked her folds and
nudged her opening, never venturing deeper.

She shifted her feet and parted her thighs,
restless and needful.

“If you want more,” he taunted, “show
me.”

Helpless to resist the temptation, she
raised one of her legs to his shoulder and opened herself to him.
He framed her with his lips, denying her the penetration of his
tongue. “In me,” she gasped out the words. “I need you inside
me.”

Vega’s arm wrapped around her waist and
dragged her off Umar’s face. “You whore!” He slapped her ass hard
and Rana cried out. He hadn’t said anything about hitting. “I no
sooner leave your bed and you have another man waiting to fuck you?
Are you never satisfied?” He pushed her to her knees and bent her
over the divan. “Spread your legs, my lady slut; let me see how
well you like it.”

“Please, sire. I will never --”

He interrupted her plea with another firm
spank. Heat spread through her bottom and her feminine core
throbbed. Jaque had never handled her roughly, never dared suggest
a spanking. The brocaded upholstery abraded her nipples as Vega
pulled her wrists to the small of her back.

“I promote you from common soldier to palace
guard and this is how you repay me?” Vega sneered at Umar. “I
should have you executed for touching her. It is within my
right.”

“I know, sire. I am so ashamed.”

“Ashamed? You lie to me with her cream on
your lips! Spread her legs. I want to see your fingers sink into
her faithless cunt.” Umar dragged her legs apart and stroked her
inner thighs. “No! Do not caress her. Thrust into her fast and
hard. She is a whore and you will treat her as such.”

She couldn’t deny the leap in her pulse as
Vega snatched control from her completely, but why was it necessary
to make her feel… demeaned?

Umar pushed into her pussy and she pressed
her lips together to keep from crying out. She was wet, not just
wet, sopping, and his fingers felt fantastic. Without warning he
added another finger. Was that two or three? If he’d just brush his
thumb across her clit, she’d blast into orgasm.

“Harder.” Vega smacked her ass again and
Umar effortlessly matched his rhythm, obviously used to the
routine. “Tell me what you feel.”

“She is --”

“She is my queen!” He punctuated the point
with an especially hard slap against her burning ass. “Say your
queen’s pussy is hot.”

“Your queen’s pussy is hot.”

Thrust. Slap. Heat and tingles.

Rana clenched her teeth against the mounting
pleasure. She wasn’t a whore, so why was her body responding so
intensely to being treated like one? Her inner muscles fluttered
and tension built with alarming speed.

“Your queen’s pussy grips me tightly,” Vega
prompted. “Say it!” Slap. Thrust.

“Your queen’s pussy grips me tightly.” Umar
was almost yelling. “She’s about to come.”

Vega shoved Umar’s hand back and Rana
moaned. Her channel throbbed painfully as the orgasm slipped away.
Damn them! She had never needed to come so badly in her entire
life.

“Lie down and spread your legs over the
sides of the divan. I want to see everything this bastard does to
you.”

Shaky from the averted release, Rana turned
around and stretched out on her back. The rough material made her
bottom burn, which only accented the ache in her pussy. She lowered
her feet to the floor on either side of the divan, spreading her
legs wide in the process. Both men stared at her with a combination
of lust and contempt. Real or pretend, the hostility upset her. She
wanted to be cherished and appreciated, not resented and
despised.

Being the focus of two lusty men had teased
her imagination as long as she could remember. Pavel had only been
interested in Jaque, so the fantasy had never been realized. Now
she was the center of attention. It just wasn’t the sort of
attention she craved.

“Raise your arms above your head. Thrust out
those tits.” Vega circled her, taking in the view from every angle.
“We’ll have to pierce your nipples and your clit. I want to watch
chains swing as Umar fucks you from behind.”

She looked into his eyes, but his gaze was
fixed on her pussy. Was he talking about eventually or before the
night was through? “Are we --”

“Silence! You will only speak when I ask you
a question.” He returned to the foot of the divan. “Your cunt is
deeply flushed and you’ve made such a mess with your cream that I
could fuck you up the ass with no other lubrication.”