Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 343(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 343(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
“Are you ready for departure?” Sirex asked as she settled into the passenger seat.
“More than ready,” Phoebe assured him. “I can’t wait to get away from this fucked up planet!”
“My sentiments exactly,” he growled. “I’ll tell Commander Sylvan that he can send someone else after The Finger of the Goddess. Or else I’ll come back later myself and ask the Emperor for it—he owes us something for the way you saved him.”
“Oh, er, he already gave it to me.” Phoebe hadn’t wanted to reveal this earlier—she was kind of embarrassed about where she’d hidden the crystal. Now she pulled out the towel and unfolded it, showing him The Finger of the Goddess.
“He did?” Sirex asked, staring down at the crystal in surprise. “But how? When? I didn’t see him give it to you.”
“He gave it to me back in the bedroom—after I untied him and pulled the age-drip needle out of his arm,” Phoebe explained as she folded the towel and tucked The Goddess’s Finger away again.
“He did?” Sirex asked again. “But where did you put it? You were completely naked when I found you.”
“I know.” Phoebe nodded. “I, er, hid it in a safe place.”
“A safe place? What does that mean?” he demanded, frowning. “Please tell me you didn’t touch it with your bare skin! You know that Commander Sylvan told us it was extremely dangerous for a female to touch The Finger of the Goddess directly.”
“I know, but I didn’t have any choice,” Phoebe protested. “Besides, it didn’t hurt me—I feel fine.” Which was true—other than some lingering tingling where the crystal had been, she felt absolutely normal.
“That was dangerous!” Sirex growled, frowning. “You shouldn’t have risked yourself! And you still haven’t told me where you hid it.”
“I told you, someplace safe,” Phoebe protested. She shivered. “Thank goodness you came back when you did! You don’t know the awful things they wanted to do to me.”
Just the thought of the terrible suggestions for torture and rape that had been thrown at her made her feel slightly ill. She had an idea she was going to need some therapy after they got back to the Mother Ship. The scene in the Grand Salon had been traumatic and she still hadn’t really had time to process it yet.
Sirex’s eyes softened.
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there sooner! My gallumpher wanted to mate with another gallumpher in midair and I had a difficult time getting back to the palace.”
“Well, at least you got back just in time,” Phoebe told him.
His eyes dropped to her open blouse and a look of guilt and self-recrimination came over his face.
“Not quite. Phoebe, I’m so sorry I was forced to pierce your nipples. Will you let me see them?”
Feeling slightly self-conscious even though he’d seen her naked so much the past few days, Phoebe pulled open her blouse. The small silver rings that pierced her nipples gleamed against her brown skin in the light from the ship’s control board.
“They’re still too sore to touch,” she admitted. “That’s why I can’t button my shirt.”
“I can heal you…if you want me to,” he offered.
Phoebe bit her lip.
“With…with your essence, you mean?” she asked.
He nodded.
“I’ll understand if you don’t want me to. After I hurt you so badly—”
“You only did that because you had to!” Phoebe interrupted.
He shook his head, his face growing grim.
“No excuses. I still did it.”
“Yes, but—”
“I know we’re nothing but coworkers again—just agents working on the same case,” he went on. “And I know it is inappropriate to ask to suck your nipples. But I really do think I could heal them if you’d let me do it—if you’d let me touch you just one last time.”
“One last time,” Phoebe echoed, feeling sad. Of course the mission was over now and she and Sirex were nothing but coworkers, just as he had said.
“Will you let me?” he asked. “Or would you prefer to heal on your own, naturally?”
“That would take way too long,” Phoebe said. “I think…I think I’d rather you healed me, Sir.”
“Very well. Come here—scoot to the edge of your seat.”
Phoebe did as he asked, turning and scooting to the edge of the passenger seat. Sirex slid out of the pilot’s chair and knelt on the floor in front of her.
Gently, he palmed her large breasts, examining the silver rings in her tight peaks.
“Do you want to take them out?” he asked, looking up to meet her eyes. “If you do, I can heal you afterwards. But if I heal you with them in, I’m afraid they might be permanent.”
Phoebe bit her lip. Did she want to try and take the rings out? Or should she keep them?
She thought of how intimate she and her mentor had gotten during this mission…remembered the intense delight she’d had in submitting to him and the ultimate pleasure of him touching her. Even if she couldn’t remember everything they’d done together, she could never forget the way he’d held her in his arms…the time he had spanked her…the way he had mapped her breasts and pussy for the three-point harness and made her come so hard…