Codename Courtesan Autumn Read online

  “Healing you made me hungry.” He paused at the foot of the bed, his gaze searching hers. “I’ll only be gone a few minutes. Will you be here when I get back?”

  Chapter Four

  Ra’jen knew Autumn couldn’t leave until they came to some sort of arrangement, but he wasn’t supposed to know about her predicament. Even so, his pulse sped, and his skin burned as he waited for her answer.

  “I’ll stay.” She quickly pulled on his shirt, giving him a delightful glimpse of her plump white breasts. “The embassy is the last place I want to be right now.”

  “We’ll talk about your options when I return.” He opened the closet and grabbed a clean shirt then retrieved his boots from the bathroom. How long would she string him along, preying on his protective nature?

  The question dominated his thoughts as he made his way to the mess hall. Honesty was in short supply these days. It would have been nice if she had confided in him, but that wasn’t realistic. She had no reason to trust him. He worked for the enemy.

  He rubbed his chest and lengthened his stride. It had been decades since he flared during sex. Any strong emotion could deepen the color of his tellimon, but anger was far more likely to cause the reaction. Before tonight, the only female to elicit the change had been his intended mate. But Leyandra had been Pryett, like him. How had a human female aroused him so deeply? It didn’t make sense.

  The mess hall was deserted as he’d expected, so he quickly scrounged together a light meal then headed back to his quarters. He’d give her one last opportunity to confess the truth; then he’d confront her with what he knew.

  She sat on the sofa in the living room running a comb through her damp hair. “I took another shower. I hope you don’t mind.”

  He didn’t care that she’d used his facilities, but it bothered him that she’d wanted to rid her body of his scent. The possessiveness made no more sense than his physical reaction to their lovemaking. He could not become emotionally entangled with this woman. It would put them both in danger.

  “Not at all.” He put the tray on the coffee table and sat facing her. “Are you sure you don’t want something? I brought plenty in case you changed your mind.”

  “I wouldn’t mind a glass of… whatever that is.” She motioned toward the pitcher on the tray.

  “Sweet tea.”

  “Perfect.” Her smile was hesitant, and she wouldn’t hold his gaze.

  “Are you all right?” He poured tea into the glasses and handed her one. “You seem tense.”

  “I haven’t been completely honest with you.”

  He fought back a smile, pleased by her decision. “In what regard?”

  “I really am reluctant to return to the embassy, but Rebecca isn’t the cause.”

  “Go on.” He set his glass on the small table beside his chair and balanced the plate on his lap.

  “Belietta, the madam, expects me to seduce you.”

  Concealing his smile behind a sandwich half, he intentionally took a bite before responding. “Her interest is financial, so what we just did won’t qualify?”

  “Exactly.”

  He munched for a few moments in silence, not yet ready to let her off the hook. “I told you I don’t pay for sex.”

  “I know, and I don’t expect you to change your mind.” Adopting his stall tactic, she paused for a slow sip of tea. “You mentioned options. Are you aware of any that don’t involve… I don’t want to be a pleasure ambassador. My emotions run too close to the surface. I don’t think I’d survive.”

  “Even if I were your only client?”

  Her brow furrowed, and she set down her tea. “But you won’t pay for sex.”

  “I’m offering you my protection. If it becomes known that you are mine, no one in the Protectorate will touch you.”

  Hope brightened her gaze, but worry still thinned her lips. “What about Belietta?”

  “I have absolutely no interest in that worn out whore.”

  She smiled then shook her head. “If I don’t make money for her, I won’t be allowed to stay at the embassy.”

  “If she harms you in any way, I’ll forbid any of my men from visiting her establishment.” He thought for a moment then changed his mind. “On second thought, I’ll have her transferred, and you can take her place.”

  “You want me to run the central embassy. It’s the most prestigious and profitable brothel in North America. The other madams will --”

  “No one will harm you, or they’ll deal with me.” He set the plate aside and stood. “The embassies are there to serve the Protectorate.”

  “And you head the Protectorate.”

  “That’s right.”

  She curled her legs to the side and arranged the shirttails to cover as much skin as possible. “Why would you do this for me?”

  “Because I desire you, and I need your help.”

  Her sky blue gaze locked with his. That was obviously not the answer she’d expected. “I’m listening.”

  “Before I explain, I need to know more about you. Don’t bother lying because I’ll verify anything you tell me.”

  “All right.”

  “Why did it take so long for you to cycle out of the training center? The average stay is six months for an adult female. We’ve been here four and a half years.”

  She fingered the hem of his shirt and lowered her gaze to her lap. “My brother had autism. No one was sure why the first virus didn’t kill him, but the Gathosians found out about his ability and wanted him studied.”

  “His ability?”

  “He was mostly nonverbal, but he had an unusually high aptitude for math. The contradiction fascinated them. They couldn’t understand how someone who was so… damaged could excel at anything.”

  “So they kept you in the training center to care for your brother?”

  “We were both moved to a research facility, but that’s the basic idea. He could be quite violent. His bad days were really bad. Even on his good days, he wouldn’t respond to anyone but me and required a very strict routine. They couldn’t rely on sedatives. The drugs distorted the results of their tests.”

  He dreaded the answer to the next question. Knowing the Gathosians as he did, there was only one ending for this story. Still, he felt obliged to ask. “What happened to him?”

  “I tucked him into bed one night, and the next morning he was gone. No warning, no explanation. I was loaded into a skimmer and returned to the training center where an orderly told me I was scheduled for release.”

  “I’m sorry. You must have been devastated.”

  “Devastated and infuriated, but helpless to do anything about it.” She tucked her hair behind her ears and sighed. “I sat down with one of their councilors, and he explained my options. I could live the rest of my life in a lab gestating their science experiments, I could join the workforce, or I could become an ambassador.”

  “Why did you choose the embassy over a work complex?”

  Rubbing her upper arms with her opposite hands she shivered. “Female workers are generally raped by different men every night. The overseers do nothing to prevent it. I figured if I was going to be forced to share my body, the relative safety of an embassy was a better alternative.”

  “I’m not sure the situation is as dangerous as you were told, but I understand your reasoning.”

  Her gaze flew back to his, alight with anger. “When is the last time you visited a refinery or interviewed a female worker?”

  It felt odd to be openly confronted. Few people dared to make eye contact with him much less challenge anything he said. After a flash of anger, the novelty intrigued him, so he allowed the small rebellion. “Point taken. My impression of the situation is based largely on reports from the overseers.”

  “Several of the ambassadors sought protection in the embassy after being horribly abused in one of the refineries. And theirs was not an isolated incident. It happens all the time.”

  Day to day operation of the refineries fell un
der Ulrick Brant’s responsibility. Even so, Ra’jen couldn’t let this information pass without some reaction. “I’ll look into it.”

  “Thank you.” Autumn picked up her tea, wrapping both hands around the cool glass. There were so many things she wanted to know about Ra’jen, but his reaction had been instantaneous and negative when she mentioned his past before. “Am I allowed to know more about you?”

  A smile curved the corners of his mouth. “What would you like to know?”

  “How long have you served the Gathosians?”

  The smile vanished, and his features tensed. “I was chosen for the Protectorate eleven years ago. I have commanded the military division for the past two.”

  Then he hadn’t been the one to unleash the viruses on Earth. She wasn’t sure why that mattered, but it felt better knowing his lips had not issued the order that annihilated three-fourths of her species.

  “Every person in the Protectorate is addicted to the compound. You realize that, don’t you?” His gaze narrowed on her face, the changeable color suddenly steel gray. “Each of our worlds was visited by the Gathosians. Most had their resources stripped, much as they’re doing to Earth. Many were left uninhabitable.”

  She wanted to know the specifics of his world and his life, but chose a more general direction. “Is sodium always what they take from all these worlds? Do you know why they need it so badly?”

  He returned his dishes to the tray before he answered. Despite his terse tone, he offered more information than she had expected. “There’s a lot of speculation. I’m no scientist, but from what I understand they return the salt to their homeworld, or dimension, and it is somehow vital to their existence. And no, sodium is not the only element they steal. It’s simply the most common.”

  She scooted to the edge of the sofa and set down her glass. “Have you actually seen one of them? A lot of people think they don’t exist, that the Protectorate uses these vile phantoms to justify their actions.”

  His smile returned but it was shaped by bitter irony. “Many within the Protectorate hold the same view. They believe they’re being enslaved by cowards who hide behind a myth. I’ll admit I had doubts of my own until I was promoted. The Gathosians are real, and they are remorseless. They value humanoid life far less than the minerals they pillage from our planets. We are beasts of burden, a disposable means to an end.”

  “Then they are not humanoid?”

  “No, they’re like nothing you’ve ever seen. They’re visible, yet I’m not sure they’re corporeal. I’ve never attempted to touch one. They communicate telepathically and move from place to place at will. They’re almost beautiful if you disregard their actions.” She started to ask another question but he waved it away. “Enough about our tormentors. We must solidify our plans.”

  More than happy to abandon the topic, she tried to encapsulate what he’d told her. “I’ll make myself available to you exclusively, and in return you’ll protect me and allow me to run the central embassy as I see fit.”

  “You’re making yourself sound like a whore and that wasn’t what I had in mind.”

  “Regardless of how we view our arrangement, that is how others will perceive my role. A madam is no better than the prostitutes she manages. I will still be part of the sex industry.”

  He sighed, frustration clear in his expression. “I would set you up in a private residence, but that would be counterproductive to my needs.”

  “Which are?”

  “I need a courier, someone who can move about without being questioned or drawing too much attention.”

  She was quiet for a moment as she searched his gaze. “These messages cannot be sent through official channels?”

  He smiled, relaxing back in the chair. “The less you know about the specifics of my operation, the safer it will be for both of us.”

  “Will I be breaking the law?”

  His brow arched, and the sparkle returned to his smoke-colored eyes. “Who enforces the law on Earth?”

  “The Protectorate.” How could she ask the next question without requesting details? She was intrigued, yet intimidated by all the secrecy. “Would my actions assist or hinder the Gathosians?”

  “Hinder, but that’s all I’ll say. It really is better if you don’t know the details.”

  “That way if I’m caught and interrogated, I’ll have nothing to reveal?”

  “Who would catch and interrogate you?”

  She smiled. “The Protectorate.”

  “Rank has its advantages, but it has also created some unforeseen complications. It’s impossible for me to do anything anonymously anymore. Ultimately, I would like to utilize a select few of your employees rather than you personally, but we will start out small and see if it works as well as I expect.”

  “Are you a spy, General Noirte?” The concept thrilled her more than anything she could have imagined. It freed her to embrace her unexpected feelings for this man, liberated her from the guilt of desiring the enemy.

  “I’m your one and only lover. That’s all you need to know.” He pushed to his feet and skirted the coffee table, standing in front of her. “It’s all anyone needs to know.”

  “I understand.”

  He wrapped his hands around her upper arms and pulled her up against him. “A large part of my success has been built on reputation. Speculation and rumors run rampant about why I was promoted and what I’m willing to do to remain in control. Most believe I’m a coldblooded killer, and it suits my purposes to encourage the misconception.”

  She wasn’t sure what he expected her to say, so she just nodded.

  “When I return you to the embassy in the morning two things will need to happen. I will need to publicly stake my claim on you, and you will need to use the power of my protection to take control of the embassy.”

  There was only one way to “stake a claim” on a pleasure giver. “How far will we need to take it to convince them it’s real?”

  His gaze turned possessive and hot. “It is real, Autumn. As soon as my body flared in response to our passion, you became mine.”

  She lightly touched his chest, remembering the vivid blue pattern. His possessiveness should frighten her, intimidate her at least. But she felt soothing affirmation and a hunger to know more. “How long will I remain yours?”

  His fingers tangled in her hair, and he leaned down, brushing his lips against her cheek as he asked, “Do you really want to know the answer to that question?”

  “Probably not.”

  He deftly flicked open the buttons on her shirt with one hand while he held her hair with the other. “As my woman, no other will dare touch you. You will know security and power.” He pulled the shirt off her shoulders, and it slid down her arms, leaving her naked before him. “In return I expect obedience in all things. Do you willingly agree?”

  The alternatives were far worse than blind obedience. Besides she’d seen too much of his true nature to fear him now. “Yes.”

  “Yes, sir,” he prompted.

  She met his gaze and echoed, “Yes, sir.”

  He released her hair, and lowered his arms to his sides. “Then pleasure me with your mouth. We will seal our agreement with your first act of obedience.”

  Without hesitation, she sank to her knees and reached for the waistband of his pants. Longing curled through her, reigniting her senses. Rather than accentuating her vulnerability, nakedness freed her to express herself as she had never dared before.

  She pushed his pants down his legs and paused to enjoy the appeal of his strong thighs and lean hips. Thick and hard, his cock rose along his belly, the balls smooth and dusky below. She cradled his sac in one hand, savoring the heavy feel and unexpected softness. His cock twitched, drawing her attention to the wide blue cap, and the bead of moisture forming at the very tip.

  Grasping his shaft with her free hand, she angled him toward her mouth and captured the moisture with a slow swipe of her tongue. He pushed his hands back into her hair, but he didn�
�t draw her nearer.

  He wanted her to do this on her own, to pleasure him as a sign of surrender. She swirled her tongue, amazed at the heat and the velvety feel of his skin. Potent and unique, his taste beckoned her onward.

  Each discovery made her bolder, ready for more. She took him deeper into her mouth. He slid against her lips, and she sucked with slow, deep pulls. She wanted more of him, more from him, needed him to surrender control.

  She moved her hands to his hips as she bobbed her head. His cock bumped the back of her mouth with each stroke. He shifted his weight, rocking with her, moving faster within the circle of her lips.

  Tilting her head back, she took him deeper, and looked up the length of his body. His head was thrown back, eyes tightly shut, features tense with passion’s struggle. He was passive, open, accepting the pleasure she gave. She tightened her lips and sucked harder, thrilled by her newfound power.

  He bared his teeth and tightened his fingers, then shoved to the back of her mouth. A harsh cry escaped him, and his seed splashed into her throat, as he came in powerful spasms.

  She licked and swallowed, sucking gently until the last tremor passed. He released her hair and pressed his hand against the side of her face as he pulled out of her mouth.

  “Perfect,” he whispered. “You are perfect.”

  Warmed by his praise, she remained on her knees, a vague ache pulsing between her thighs.

  With slow, measured movements, he stripped away his clothes then pulled her to her feet. “I’ll be the first to admit that feels amazing, but I like it better when we come together.”

  He motioned her toward the bed, and they lay on their sides, her back pressed against his front. His hands slid over her body, caressing her breasts, belly, and thighs. Then he lifted her top leg and angled her back so she rested almost on top of him and less on her side.

  His cock nudged her folds, and she gasped. How had he hardened again so quickly? Hooking her ankle over his knee, he freed his hand for more intimate endeavors. He traced her slit with his cockhead, pausing to rub against her clit at the top of each teasing stroke.