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“And you, I’ll have only you?” she added, stepping into the overall.
“Just me; nobody else will be permitted to touch you.” He picked up his jacket and slipped it on. “Apart from those women assigned to look after you.”
“Servants?” She gaped slightly. What else would there be in a governor’s residence. A proper bedroom and bathroom. She was starting to warm to the idea. Sex with Marco would be demanding, but he’d demonstrated how wonderful and adventurous it could be. The spanking was a distant memory, the welts on her bottom throbbed again, but the reason why they were there was shifting further into the past. If she lived with him, there would be laughter and companionship, somebody to talk to when he finished his work. It might even be possible to forget she was a prisoner and lightyears away from home.
“The most reliable prisoners are selected to serve. Older and less likely to cause trouble. You’ll have a personal maid—”
“And sleep in your bed every night, making love and…” Something about the expression on his face brought her to an abrupt halt. “What?”
“My bed? No, you’ll sleep in the jenjin quarters.”
Her fingers stumbled over a fastening. “I won’t sleep with you?”
“Only the jenjin live in the Volta.”
Her bubble of happiness popped. “Volta. What’s that?”
He brushed the creases out of his jacket, and spoke as if everything he was saying was ordinary. “A pleasure palace. It’s designed to give the best environment for sex. Amazing rooms with special furniture, sex toys, and bathing facilities. You’ll be kept ready for me, prepared for my visits—”
“Visits!” She covered her mouth with her hand. “It’s a…” She couldn’t think of the Vendian word and chose an English one instead. “A brothel.”
Lines appeared on his forehead as he furrowed his eyebrows. “A brothel. I don’t know that word.”
“It’s where men pay for sex, that’s what it is.” She slammed her sandals on the floor.
“Pay? There’s no payment here. You don’t understand, I’m proposing a great honor for you. The governor’s jenjin will be well taken care of. The Volta selects the best females from the prisoner population for the soldiers, but I get to choose.”
“Select? You mean coerce. Women forced—”
“No,” he said firmly. “They volunteer.”
“Volunteer?” she sneered.
“Look down there, Freya. Look at it. The heat, the baking sunshine, the measly food, and long hours of work. It’s not supposed to be fun. It’s a prison. Up here, it is luxury in comparison. The Volta is oversubscribed with applicants. It’s considered a reward, a bonus to live in the Volta, learning how to please men and make them happy. Naturally, it will require you to adapt and there might be occasions when you are disciplined.”
Learning? Discipline? What kind of sex was she expected to perform for him? Where was the passion he’d just shown her? “You don’t get it, Marco. I want love, companionship… you. Not just when you feel like it. I want to live with you.” She brushed aside an emotional tear with the back of her hand.
“That isn’t how things work here. Love is something that we Vendu don’t consider valuable; quite the contrary, it’s a hindrance. It ties people to one place and we are a mobile race of warriors. If a man chooses a woman to be his mate, to rear his offspring, he will support her and the children, but love isn’t a requirement. It’s not unusual for Vendu men to have several sexual partners through their lifetime.”
He didn’t get it. Her heart fragmented into little bits. She’d built him up to be something special and it was a false dream. “That isn’t how I want it,” she said bitterly. “I can’t be your jenjin. I’d rather take my chances down there.”
Marco frowned, shaking his head. “I can’t have you there. You must stay.”
“Will you force me, Marco? Is that what you’ll do?” She planted her hands on her hips and he scowled.
“No.” He walked toward her and reached out his hand, but she backed away until she hit the force field. He’d fucked her against it. Now she wished it wasn’t there. “Won’t you just try? Visit the Volta?”
She shook her head. “I’ll live in your residence. I’ll be your lover, your friend, but I won’t be this jenjin. My mind is made up. So let me go back. I’ll take my chances.”
The color drained slightly from his face, a second’s worth of shock at her decision, then his features hardened. “You’re being foolish—”
“No. I’m putting my feelings first. I loved what you did to me. Yes, it was fucking, but I really thought we had a connection and that we could make something of it. But you don’t get it, so fine. I’ll go. What did I expect from an alien.” She strode toward the door.
“Come back,” he barked. “I haven’t dismissed you.”
She pivoted on her heel and crossed her arms. “Or what? You’ll spank me? Go ahead. See where that gets you. I’m not going to change my mind.”
He stood across the room, his eyes stared right into hers and for a few seconds, she believe he might just do it, spank her again, but then he slapped his hands against his sides. “I won’t force you. Go. I’ll have someone take you back down. I’m sorry, Freya. I’m sorry you don’t understand how important you’ve become to me. The Volta isn’t a bad place and my wish to be with you is founded upon honorable intentions. I would look after you. Isn’t that what a good man should do with his woman?”
