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  She had no idea who he was, yet he watched her rather intimately. Irritation pricked her. The man leaned against the corridor a few feet ahead of them.

  He was quite attractive. Tall, dark hair, broad shoulders, and a predatory stillness in him that sent a frisson of alarm through her. Alarm and…heat. She felt a warm flush steal into her cheeks. But why? She was no virgin unused to a man’s sexual interest.

  Dane escorted her closer to him, and the breath in her throat seemed to lock. He did not bow, she realized in shock. With so few women in existence, all Rosabelles were held in the highest regard. It was required that every man bow in the presence of one. Instead his gaze moved over her slowly and thoroughly, to the point where she wondered if he might have the impossible ability to see beneath her dress.

  Her pulse, which had already begun to race, throbbed for a different reason now. How dare the man? Had he no respect?

  He straightened from the wall as she came abreast of him, but instead of bowing as she assumed he’d do, he gave her a mocking smile and lifted one eyebrow as if to challenge her. She jerked her gaze away from him, her heart thudding like mad.

  How foolish he was to stare at her so—to not bow. If she were smart she’d report him. It was no less than he deserved.

  Even after she’d passed by him, she could feel his gaze burning into her back. She was accustomed to being stared at, but never had it unsettled her so. Never had something as common as a man’s stare created heat that spiraled throughout her body and settled low in her belly.

  Her nipples tightened and she groaned in dismay. This was not good. Her arousal was now blatantly apparent, and the Council would note as much the moment she entered the room.

  “Come.” Dane punched in the code that opened the automatic doors, and they hissed open.

  Talia took a deep breath, and unable, to resist, glanced back at the man. He continued to watch her, but his eyes were now narrowed and his mouth drawn tight.

  He didn’t appear pleased with her being led into the Council’s chamber. The thought perked her spirits a bit and she raised a mocking eyebrow back at him, before turning to enter the chamber alone.

  *

  Ryder watched the doors to the Council’s chamber slide shut and clenched his fists. Fuck. She was the target Rosabelle? He shook his head and walked to the window that overlooked the city. Now this was just a complication that he didn’t need.

  What should have been a simple plan had just become a helluva lot more complicated. The last thing he needed was his dick rock hard when he set the events in motion. As long as you think with the right head you’ll be fine.

  And they would be blindsided if all went well. He rocked back on his heels and envisioned the Rosabelle who’d just passed by. Like all Rosabelles he’d encountered on this planet, she had been beautiful. With lush breasts, a small waist, and slender thighs that he already imagined spread wide for him. But there had been more about that woman. A fire he’d seen within those pale blue eyes, whereas in most Rosabelles he had encountered there was simply a flatness—a resignation to their lives.

  The blood in his cock stirred and his breathing grew heavier. He would have her. Hot and willing when the time was right, but now…now he needed to stick to the plan.

  *

  Talia entered the Council’s chamber, pushing aside the familiar despondency and apprehension. She walked in with her head held high and her shoulders back, allowing her breasts to thrust against the fabric. Always present your body’s curves in the most provocative manner. She’d learned the manner of walking from the day she was first groomed to become a Rosabelle.

  The room was cold with steel walls, circular in structure with each of the Council members’ desks spread throughout. In the middle of the room was the couch that could be altered into a bed—just looking at it brought a cold trickle of sweat down her spine.

  “Natalia, my dear. You’re late, but have impeccable timing. We were about to begin our first break of the morning.” One of the Council members, Victor, rose from his desk and approached her. His gaze moved over her possessively. “You look absolutely stun—”

  He broke off and the sudden silence in the air was wrought with tension. Oh gods. He’d sure noticed quickly enough. She’d hoped he’d not see it, be too preoccupied.

  “Take notice, gentlemen,” he said and closed the distance between them. Reaching out he cupped her breast through the dress, capturing the tight nipple between his fingers. “It appears our Natalia has found something to be aroused by outside our chamber.”

  “And I apologize, sirs,” she murmured uneasily and lowered her gaze. “It was simply the thought of you three that has put me in such a state.”

  The lie was reasonable enough, but would they believe it?

  “Really?” Victor’s tone indicated his doubt. “How aroused have you allowed yourself to become? Shall we check, my dear?”

  She kept her gaze lowered and gave a submissive nod. Her pulse quickened with trepidation. She heard the scrape of the other chairs across the hardwood floor and knew that Ramirez and Franklin were approaching her.

  The warm air tickled her ankles as one of the men lifted her dress. With her gaze still downcast, she recognized the age spots on the hand that held the fabric. It was Ramirez, the eldest of the men, who was somewhere in his mid-fifties.

  The dress was raised past her knees, up her thighs, and then over her hips. Her naked pussy was revealed to the men in the room. Men who knew every inch of her body the way a painter knew every detail in his painting.

  Ramirez’s fingers slipped between her legs and rubbed over the lips of her cunt. She closed her eyes, knowing her body would respond at this point. Heart and emotions out of the equation, her body knew pleasure.

  “She is already wet.” His disappointment was evident.

  And her body also knew pain. She knew what would come next. She bit her lip and a tremble shook her body.

  “I see.” Victor sighed.

  Her dress was once again lowered. She heard the rasp of a zipper and opened her eyes, lifting her gaze to the men. Franklin had his cock out, and was stroking the thick purple erection as he leered at her.

  “Remove your dress, Natalia,” Victor commanded.

  Without hesitation she undid the single button in the back and let the dress slide off her body and onto the floor.

  “Now you will assume the position for punishment.” Victor glanced over at Ramirez. “You may participate if you wish.”

  The older man nodded and went and sat upon his desk, hastily reaching for the fly of his pants.

  Talia took a deep calming breath, walked to the desk, and leaned forward, thrusting her ass out toward Victor. She placed her palms on either side of Ramirez, watching as he freed his erection and lifted it eagerly toward her lips.

  “Take him within your mouth,” Victor commanded. And then the first stinging slap of his hand rained down on her buttock.

  She barely flinched and parted her lips, allowing Victor to press his erection into her mouth. The slaps continued, harder as she suckled upon Ramirez’s flesh. She went into her zone, the only way in which she got through these moments. Not thinking, only performing.

  His fingers clenched in her hair, holding her mouth to his cock as she brought him to orgasm. He spilled his seed into her mouth and she swallowed automatically, trying not to focus on the hot burning of her buttocks.

  Ramirez released her just as an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her upright.

  “You are forgiven, my dear.” Victor turned her around, his gaze full of lust.

  Ramirez slipped off the desk, which allowed Victor to lay her down upon it. The wood was hard upon her spine, but she offered no protest as he stepped between her thighs.

  He ran his hands over her body, squeezing her breasts and then moving down between her legs. He thrust two fingers inside her and wiggled them around.

  “Wet indeed. A woman’s cunt is like the rarest fine wine. So few can aff
ord it. We are entitled, we are blessed.” He fell to his knees and buried his face against her pussy.

  His tongue moved over her, rough and eager. He found her clit and lapped at it—at her, devouring her like a man deprived.

  The warm arousal she’d felt when she’d seen the man in the corridor returned. His image instantly embedded itself behind her closed lids, and suddenly it was not Victor pleasuring her, but him. The dark-eyed man in the hall, sucking and licking her flesh.

  The pleasure spiraled until it seemed to spill over in waves. Her body trembled. She blinked. What had just happened?

  Victor stood and ran his hands down her thighs. “How interesting. I do believe our Rosabelle just had a small orgasm.”

  An orgasm? She had not thought it possible. Confusion swept over her. The pleasure had built while she had thought about that man in the hall.

  “Do not get a swollen head over it. I am sure it was an accident,” Franklin grumbled. “I believe it was decided that I was to have her during the morning break?”

  “Yes, that was what we agreed upon this morning.” Victor’s reply sounded reluctant.

  She opened her eyes, watching Victor step away from her and Franklin move between her thighs. Since the day they’d purchased her when she’d turned eighteen, never would they take her one after another, always spreading out the actual act of sex throughout the day.

  “Hello there, baby.” Franklin grinned, pinched her nipple to the point of pain, and thrust his erect cock hard inside her. “I’ve missed you.”

  Victor climbed atop the desk and straddled her chest. He freed his own erection and rubbed it across her lips.

  “If you don’t mind, my dear?”

  She opened her mouth and took him inside. Why did he ask her when they both knew she had no choice? This was her life. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

  Ramirez leaned over the desk and a moment later his fleshy lips closed over her nipple and he began to suckle.

  What if there was some way to have more? If there was an out from her life as a Rosabelle. Don’t be a fool. You know it’s impossible. Yes. Completely impossible. She bit her lip, squelching back any hope, and went back into her zone.

  Two hours later Talia was in what she liked to refer to as the midday lull. Where the three men had been pleasured, and her only duty was to sit with them while they discussed business. Or perhaps serve them food or beverage if they so desired.

  “Ramirez, what is the course of action we have lined up against the planet of Belton?” Victor asked while she sat on his lap. The hand that rested around her waist slid upward to idly fondle her breast. “Are the troops prepared to be deployed?”

  Talia lowered her gaze, all too familiar with this topic. The Council was organizing an unplanned assault on a nearby planet that they had a supposed alliance with. The reasoning behind their plan was to gain resources that were dwindling upon their own planet.

  “Indeed they are. The preliminary attack is scheduled for the fifteenth of next month. By all accounts Belton’s government has no reason to suspect we have anything but good intentions.”

  Their discussion might have unsettled her, yet she’d heard enough in previous talks to not be bothered. The planet Belton was nothing but a wasted planet run by violent barbarians. She sighed and pressed a hand to her head. How long until she could leave?

  “My dear, are you well?” Victor turned his attention to her fully.

  Talia saw her opportunity and jumped on it. The men would be in discussion for at least another hour.

  “I fear I am on the verge of a headache.” She ran her tongue across her lips. “I would request a few minutes to return to my bedding unit and lie down?”

  “Oh. Well, I suppose there’s no harm in it.” His tone was reluctant as was the arm that left her waist. “So long as you return by the two o’clock hour. And make sure you summon Dane to accompany you.”

  “Of course.” She lowered her gaze and slipped off his lap, stepping into her dress again.

  At the door she glanced back into the room and found Franklin’s gaze on her. She could sense the lust and cruelty radiating off him from across the room.

  For the most part she was treated well and never harmed. Yet Franklin possessed a cruel side that he on occasion let loose on her when they were alone. Fortunately, they were rarely allowed in that situation.

  Suppressing a shudder, she turned and exited through the door. She made her way to Dane’s chambers, reluctant to interrupt him during his time with Thomas, yet knew there was no choice. A Rosabelle was never allowed to be alone in her bedding unit.

  She reached the corridor that led to his chamber; a glass window above looked down upon his room. Spotting Dane and Thomas in bed together, her heart sank. She sighed, hoping he’d forgive her.

  Truly there was no privacy in this community. The entire building that housed the Council and its staff was made up of mostly windows.

  Sex was nothing to be ashamed of within these walls, therefore was never hidden, with the one exception being with a Rosabelle. The Council’s chambers and bedding units were equipped with privacy shields that would slide down to cover the windows. No man, save the three Council members, was allowed to watch her in any sexual act.

  She clasped her hands in front of her and glanced down again at Dane and Thomas. It was time—she could avoid the interruption no longer.

  Talia stepped toward the stairs to his chamber, but hesitated as the men exchanged a long kiss. Rarely, if at all, had she ever seen two people so completely besotted by each other.

  She watched as Dane urged Thomas onto his hands and knees. He kissed the younger man’s neck, wrapping his hand around Thomas’s cock. The trembling in the other man was visible even from where she stood.

  You should not watch this. A hot flush made its way through her body. It was not the first time she had seen two men make love, but she had never seen her assistant. She would almost consider Dane a friend, and to watch this intimate moment felt awkward. But the obvious love they shared held her entranced.

  Dane now stroked his fingers between the younger man’s buttocks. He picked up a small bottle that sat next to them on the bed and squirted lubricant over his fingers. Talia’s breath caught while she watched him press two fingers into Thomas’s asshole. He moved them in and out, while continuing to stroke the other man’s cock.

  “Oh…” She bit her lip, cutting off her husky groan.

  Dane removed his fingers and lined his cock up with the small hole, then pressed steadily inside the other man. His thrusting started slow and then grew faster, while still he continued to stroke Thomas’s cock.

  Talia shifted her stance, trying to ease the pressure of the slick cream that gathered heavy in her cunt.

  Minutes passed and she continued to watch them make love—transfixed by how both men’s passion seemed equal and was not feigned, forced, or even lukewarm, as was the life she was accustomed to.

  Dane thrust deep and stayed within the other man. She could swear she heard them both cry out. Then he pulled out of the younger man and kissed his shoulder. Thomas rolled over onto his back, reaching his arms up and drawing Dane down for a deep kiss.

  Talia closed her eyes. How was she supposed to walk back into the Council’s chambers in such a state of arousal? How would she explain it? They would never believe the same excuse twice in one day.

  She stepped back, hitting something hard. Steel like arms slipped around her waist, wringing a gasp from her and holding her immobile.

  “Release me.” She struggled, attempting to twist her head to see who held her.

  “Interesting. A Rosabelle who not only likes to perform, but enjoys watching as well?”

  Though she had never heard him speak and could not yet see him, she knew it was he. The man she’d seen in the corridor earlier. Blood raced through her veins and heat spread throughout her body.

  “Do you have a death wish, sir?” She clenched her teeth and attempted to pry his finger
s away from her waist. “No one outside the Council is allowed to touch me. To do so is grounds for immediate execution—”

  He spun her around, his hands gripping just above her elbows. He backed her up against the wall in the empty corridor, his dark eyes boring into hers.

  Her back slammed into the cold metal wall and her eyes widened when his head dipped just inches above hers.

  “Well, if I’m going to die, princess, I think I should do so having gotten to know you a little better.”

  His breath feathered over her cheek, sending shivers of awareness down her spine. So new was the sensation that all protests died on her lips. She met his gaze, her own eyes wide.

  No man had touched her outside of the Governing Council. Now this man—a stranger with eyes that burned like the devil—touched her as if he had every right to.

  “What is your name?” he asked, his lips nearly touching hers.

  Her knees felt oddly weak and she gripped his solid forearms. “Talia.”

  His mouth closed over hers, confident and demanding, sending shock waves of pleasure through her body. His tongue pressed past her lips and delved into her mouth, rubbing slowly against hers. The onslaught of sensation and emotion was confusing, yet pleasing.

  The Council rarely kissed her and when they did the gesture was hurried and sloppy. It was nothing like what this man was doing to her. Even knowing that if discovered he could be put to death and she would be severely punished, having this one chance at an unusual type of freedom was suddenly worth the risk.

  He pressed her harder against the wall, sliding his hand beneath her dress and up her leg. The pleasure of his rough hands upon her was so intense her body shook. He moved one finger between her thighs and honed in on her clitoris.

  The first touch sent her onto her tiptoes, pleasure spearing every inch of her body.

  He lifted his mouth from hers and whispered, “Do you like me rubbing your hot little clit, princess?”

  Yes. Oh gods yes. She gripped his arms to keep her knees from giving out.

  “All slick and swollen.” He dropped another hard kiss on her mouth, his finger rubbing harder against her clit. “Just waiting to be licked.”