“The laws are different on different worlds. Many slaves are kept partially clothed and used for sex as I’m sure you know. On—”
“No,” she said. “I’m not going to argue this with you. I’m not here as a slave. I’m a prisoner with a brief sentence. I expect to work, but not to be treated as a concubine.”
The door opened and the tall hunter strode in. His dark waves were damp with sweat. What sort of work had he been doing? When he was closer, she could smell mandenwood and another tangy scent she didn’t recognize. It was sharp and pleasant and mixed well with the musk of his body.
“What’s taking so long? What’s she still doing in that?” Tokurn demanded, nodding at her undergarment.
“She hesitated.”
“Of course she did. That doesn’t answer my question,” Tok said, unsheathing an enormous serrated blade.
She sucked in a breath and tried to step back. He caught her shoulder and jerked her forward.
“Do not move,” he murmured. A moment later, the blade slid downward, cleanly splitting the fabric of her shift. He pushed it off her shoulders, exposing her full pink-nippled breasts and a pair of silky shorts. He sliced the top of the shorts and then tore them open. They fluttered down to the floor.
She put an arm across her breasts and a hand in front of her nether curls.
Tok sheathed the knife and then lifted her onto the table.
“Don’t shave the curls. We’ll do it, Roll. Girl, lie back.”
She opened her mouth, but Tokurn didn’t wait. He grabbed her shoulders and laid her back. He wasn’t rough, but he wasn’t exactly gentle either.
She immediately surged back up to a sitting position. He took her arm and forced her over onto her belly. Then he slapped her ass several times with sharp stinging blows. She struggled until he pinned her arm and put pressure on it. The pain of resisting was immediately too much. She stilled. He spanked her bare bottom several more times. Her hips squirmed, her face flaming.
“Hold,” Roll said. “Let’s ask her. Will you comply?” Roll asked, looking down at her flushed face, her eyes full of furious tears. “Will you comply now? Or will you wait until you’ve been punished into compliance?”
She swallowed. “Yes, I’ll comply.”
The strong hand released her arm, and the hunter stepped back from the table.
“Good girl,” Roll said. “Turn over and place your heels on the edge of the table. Knees open.”
“I don’t—”
“Quiet,” Tok said. “This is normal. Even if you weren’t a prisoner, this would be happening. Anyone we bring on board is checked from head to foot for diseases.”
Roll put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “It’s all right. This won’t be painful.”
“Could we at least be alone?” she whispered. The warmth in her backside was oddly compelling as she rested on it and that unsettled her. She was aware of the practice of a stern husband or lover spanking a wild or errant woman, but she, of course, had never been subject to it. Some women with cruel husbands likened it to abuse, but others spoke fondly of their strong and uncompromising partners. A hunter would most likely become too violent over time, she decided, but, at the moment, his physical presence was strangely consuming.
“There is no reason for me to leave. I’ll see you often enough,” Tok said in a calm voice.
She glanced surreptitiously at his groin. The tight skin pants revealed as much as they covered. He was aroused, which sent a flood of heat to her core. She glanced away, carefully arranging herself on the table as she wondered things about him. Was it her nakedness or the spanking that had aroused him? Possibly both.
She lay back on the table, the cool smooth stone warming under her skin. She closed her eyes as she opened her knees.
“Very good,” Roll said in a gentle voice.
She felt a soft swab dab between her lower lips.
She sucked in a breath. “Is that necessary? I’ve not been exposed to diseases of the flower.”
She heard an amused sound and opened her eyes to find a small smirk on Tok’s face.
“What?” she demanded, her arms crossed over her breasts.
“That’s an expression I haven’t heard before,” Tok said.
