Chapter Five
Evston had had herslip into a shift for the last leg of the journey. She hadn’t even protested. Recklessly trusting, he thought for the hundredth time. It only made him want her more. He glanced over. The thin fabric molded to her curves as she slept in her seat, her smooth bare legs beckoning his touch.
The air smelled like seared fruit. The molten heat bubbled up every dozen days to consume a dense section of plant life, and the spray that filled the air rained down far and wide, saturating the area with a richness that allowed anything to grow.
The abandoned house had once been at the heart of the Calex empire, back when farming had been a cornerstone of their wealth. It was one of the obscure properties that he and Rocurt had inherited. Evston had sold off so many that no one even realized this site was still a holding.
Evston woke her. Brande was flushed and looked around dazedly.
“Are we? No, it’s not off-world,” she said, glancing down at the rough-terrain transport cart. “It’s hot.”
He grinned. “Welcome to the edge of the world.”
She smiled. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said, looking around at the vines and gnarled trees wrapping around the property as a living wall.
“Take off your shift and shoes.”
“Now?”
“Right now.”
“Evston, the ground looks rough and dirty.”
“Rough and dirty is your new way of life,” he said. “And if you call me Evston again, you’ll get another taste of my belt before we even unpack.”
Her bright eyes widened, but she didn’t look alarmed. She was quite the game girl, as she’d implied she would be. Now they would see.
She slipped off her jeweled slippers. Then she tugged the shift over her head. Her beautiful body emerged, revealing high round breasts with peach nipples, the plump petals of her sex, and the smooth round bottom lightly marked from the punishment he’d meted out.
He swung down from his seat and walked around. At the last stop he’d put the collar and leash in the front console. He fastened the collar around her neck and hooked the leash to it.
“You take this rather seriously,” she said, sounding faintly amused.
“You’re about to learn how seriously.”
Her eyes widened as he tugged the leash, taking up the slack.
“Here,” he said, holding out his free arm.
She leaned forward, and he swung her off the bench seat and set her carefully on the ground. She rose to her toes.
“I’m sinking!”
“The ground holds moisture,” he said and slipped his left hand between her legs. “Just like the best parts of you.”
She gasped, looking completely shocked. She did not move or even breathe for several moments. He ran a fingertip between the seam of her lips.
“Ev—I mean, Sir, what are you doing?”
He pulled his hand back and licked the moisture from his fingertip. “I’m touching and tasting my property.”
“You understand that there are one or two limitations since we don’t intend to marry?”
“It’s a little late to expect negotiations. Come,” he said, his cock as hard as stone, blood pounding between his legs. The girl was not only exceptionally beautiful, but there was a wild sweetness to her, like the fruit growing on the vines. “Mind your feet, firebird.”
He tugged gently on the leash, just hard enough to remind her that she was on one. At the gate, he used a blade to cut away the vines to allow access. The courtyard was overgrown, with bugs skittered away as they walked.
She shrieked, and he turned to find her on her toes, staring down. “Something ran over my feet. An insect. I do not like—” She screamed again and flung herself forward to stand on his boots. “Please carry me.”
