Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 36684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
FIVE
Tabitha twisted and turned angrily, fighting the manacles that held her arms above her head. Her movements caused her naked breasts to jiggle and her position pulled the Drusinian love knots even tighter against her nipples and pussy, pinching her mercilessly. She was well aware that her twisting and struggling were drawing attention to her plight—all eyes were on her now and a crowd was gathering to see what the commotion was about. But she would go to hell before she’d stand still and take whatever Captain Keer was about to dish out. What the hell was he thinking, anyway, treating her like this? If he was trying to make their parts as merchant and newly acquired slave more realistic she could think of better ways to do it. Ways that didn’t involve putting her on display for the second time that day.
“Stop it!” she demanded, trying to turn to see exactly what her commanding officer was up to. “You can’t do this to me!”
“I can and I will.” Suddenly Keer was right behind her, his broad, muscular chest pressed against her bare back. “You little fool—thanks to your defiant attitude, every merchant here is beginning to wonder if you’re really a slave. So now I have to prove you are,” he breathed in her ear. “I ought to fuck you right here and now so nobody has any doubt I own you.”
“You…you ought to what?” Tabitha could scarcely believe her ears. She had never heard her stoic Zentorian captain sound so upset, no, so angry before and it frightened her as the threat of being sold as a slave had not. His big body was pressed against hers so hard she could feel him trembling—with rage, she realized suddenly. He was so angry with her he was having to hold on to his temper with both hands. Zentorians don’t have emotions! she thought wildly. Could she be mistaken about what he was feeling? Tabitha had imagined what it would be like to be called to his quarters many times if he decided to exercise his captain’s privilege with her but she’d never dreamed it might take place in a dusty, open-air marketplace in front of a crowd of curious merchants and buyers.
“I said I ought to fuck you,” Keer growled, his big body still crowding hers. “It would be well within my rights and you’ve caused enough trouble to deserve it. Be thankful all you’re getting is a taste of my belt.”
“What? But you can’t—” Before she could finish her sentence he had stepped back and the first stinging blow connected with her naked backside with a flat smacking sound. Tabitha howled in surprise and pain. She had been prepared to face a board of inquisition and maybe even lose her commission for her stupidity in trying to capture V on her on, but never in her wildest imagination had she thought her captain would tie her naked to a whipping post and beat her with his belt.
“That’s right, whip her! Beat the insolence out of her!” yelled one onlooker, earning a glare from Tabitha as she continued to struggle. She managed to twist partway around, the rusty manacles digging into her wrists, and saw the next blow coming. Nimbly, she dodged to one side and the belt hit only empty air where her ass had been a minute before. Take that, you bastard! Tabitha felt a surge of triumph but it was short lived. Black leather belt gripped tightly in one hand, Keer strode forward and grabbed her around the waist.
“Have you gotten it through your thick head yet that you’re supposed to be a slave?” he snarled in her ear. “You deserve this whipping more than I can say but we also need to convince this crowd we’re the genuine article if we want to get out of here with our skins intact.”
Blinking tears of pain out of her eyes, Tabitha glared up at him. She was so angry that his threats failed to frighten her now. Had she really wanted to gain her captain’s attention? Well, she had it now, had his arms around her and his hard body pressed against hers. The only problem was that they were in public and he was intent on reddening her ass to try to teach her some kind of stupid lesson.
“There’s no way in hell I can just hold still while you beat the living daylights out of me,” she spat.
He frowned, one corner of his mouth curving down violently. “If you had any idea how much I’m holding back right now you’d realize this beating amounts to nothing more than a love pat. But I’ll be damned if I stand here reasoning with you while those merchants call the guards. If you won’t hold still for your whipping, I’ll hold you still myself.”