Rees Read online

  She looked puzzled. “Can’t I just fingerprint?”

  “Yes, if you have an account. Do you?”

  “I haven’t the faintest idea.”

  “Then you buy a ticket.” He pulled a credit strip out of the pocket of his air-cooled robe, the kind you bought in a corner store. He let the vending machine eat it for a minute, then it spit it out along with two plastic tokens.

  He handed one to Talan who studied it like a woman might study a new diamond.

  He took her by the arm and steered her to the two-tiered platform. She didn’t want to give up her ticket. She wanted to save it, like a souvenir. He took it out of her reluctant hand and dropped it in the slot so the force shield would open and they could get on the train.

  The trains were relatively empty in this part of town. They found a seat where they could sit side by side, and Rees slid his arm around her shoulders. She snuggled up to him.

  He was surprised, he thought she’d be too cautious. But maybe she figured no one would know her in a hover-train. She was probably right.

  The train pulled out into a cavern made by the backs of buildings. They glided along, the train held by so powerful a grav pull that even a sandstorm couldn’t knock it loose.

  Rees had sat through a storm in a train car once. The train had stopped, but though the car rocked and jolted, it never fell.

  He remembered himself and all the other people in the car holding their seats, waiting for a boulder or something to come smashing through the transparent canopy, but nothing had happened.

  The train went fairly slowly through the twisted corridors of the city. Rees had seen on digitals that in cities on a jungle world, they built long transparent tubes that snaked through the city and jungle, and the cars traveled through that.

  He’d heard that on some other world, everyone, rich and poor, had their own little transport cars, which they put into free-fall tubes that would carry them to any part of the planet they wanted.

  Talan peered out the window eagerly, but after a while, her eyelids drooped. You could only see so many back alleys and sand-filled lanes before you got tired of it.

  She leaned her head on his shoulder. He kissed her hair.

  It was hard to control himself when he was around her. He was stiffly erect, even now. Usually he could turn off his pheromone-tasting, woman-seeking cock, but not with her. He wanted her to bury himself in her and rock until he came.

  He had never taken it this slow before. But he knew that as soon as he deflowered Talan, he would be finished. Talan would say goodbye, show him the door.

  He didn’t want that to happen too soon. He wanted to savor every minute of her.

  But the longer he waited, the harder it would be to keep control. He wanted to make it good for her, but the part of him that he tried hardest to tame got hard just thinking about hearing her scream.

  Damn, am I panting enough? Rio would laugh himself sick.

  He woke her up when the train stopped at their destination. She blinked sleepy eyes at him, then smiled.

  He helped her up and guided her off the train. Air whooshed as the doors closed behind them and the hover-train glided away.

  “Where are we?”

  She looked at the grimy station, the dispirited and half-working robots that swept trash and dust from the floor. One robot had broken down completely about six months ago, and still sat in the middle of the station.

  “Pas City,” Rees said. “The heart of the back streets, as you call them.”

  She glanced around dubiously as he led her out of the station.

  Life was different here than in the rich part of town, People strode through the narrow and dirty streets shouting greetings to people they knew, shouting rude words at people in their way, shouting promises from storefronts that their prices were lowest.

  Several black-haired women with surgically enhanced green eyes leaned over a rusted balcony above the street.

  “Rees,” one cooed. “Rees, sweetie, come and see me.”

  Talan glanced up at the woman and away, a flash of jealousy in her eyes.

  Jealousy. That was a new one. Usually women liked for Rees to be jealous or at least to pretend to be.

  Rees couldn’t believe he’d thought that if she dressed like a lower-class girl, she’d fit in. She obviously had never walked alone on a street before. Talan tried to look at everything at once, actually listened to the vendors hawking their wares.

  She stopped before a shop of cheap jewelry and gawked.

  The man who ran the booth had lost several of his teeth and hadn’t bothered to replace them. Maybe he thought the gap-toothed look would improve his sales. He smiled at Talan.

  “What is this?” Talan touched a particularly glittery bauble hanging from a necklace.

  “The lady has taste,” the vendor said.

  Rees tried not to roll his eyes. The man would have said that if she’d picked up a stray insect that had landed on the table.

  “But what is it?” She lifted the necklace, mystified.

  Rees took it from her. “It’s a star dancer. Haven’t you ever seen one?”

  He opened the silver globe that hung from the chain. Holo-lights, red, blue, green, yellow, gold and silver, shot out of it and swirled together just above the two halves of the sphere. The lights danced and sparkled and twisted.

  “Oh, how beautiful.”

  “Buy it for your lady,” the vendor suggested. He would. “Two bits.”

  “Are you crazy?” Rees asked at once.

  The vendor took on a look of cunning, anticipating talking Rees down to his real price. But Talan’s eyes widened. “Two bits? That’s so cheap. I’ll take it.”

  The vendor goggled. Then he looked disappointed he hadn’t asked for three.

  “No, it isn’t,” Rees said. “It’s robbery.” He took his credit slip out of his pocket, made a face and handed it to the vendor. “But nothing’s too good for my girl.”

  “No, Rees—” Talan stuck her hand out to take the credit slip back. Rees closed his hand on hers.

  “I said, nothing’s too good for my girl.”

  The vendor licked his lips greedily, stuck the slip into his handheld machine. He handed it back, two bits lighter, and Rees put it into his pocket. He took the necklace from Talan and clasped it around her neck.

  “You’re right, it’s beautiful.” He tilted her chin back, pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

  She exhaled as he pulled away, her breath skimming his lips like a caress.

  The vendor chuckled, breaking the moment. “I have plenty of pretty rings for a pretty lady. Cheap, too.”

  “Shut up, you old thief,” Rees said. He put his arm around Talan’s shoulders and guided her away.

  The necklace bounced softly on Talan’s chest as she followed Rees. She had to follow him, clinging to his hand, because the street was so crowded, they couldn’t walk together.

  People pushed and shoved and bumped right into her, sliding against her with their smelly bodies and rough clothes. It was all very strange.

  Stranger was the look on Rees’ face when he put the necklace around her neck. She’d seen naked hunger in his eyes. He hadn’t even looked like that when he’d told her to sit down this morning so he could lick her.

  Then he’d been smiling, teasing, half-triumphant.

  She was so alone with him. She might be able to find her way back to the station, but she had no money with her. Talan never needed money. She always gave her fingerprint, and her account was charged.

  Here she had no accounts, no credit slip, no friends, no acquaintances. Just Rees and the lifeline of his hand.

  He could take her anywhere and do anything he wanted to her. She was at his mercy.

  Maybe it was Rees, maybe it was the spell he cast, but she was not afraid. In fact, she liked it.

  She watched him walking ahead of her, his broad shoulders swaying, his bare, brawny arm brushing back the folds of his cloak. He had strong hands. Strong finger
s. She stroked her thumb softly along one of those fingers.

  He turned his head, gave her a dark smile.

  It was right then, she thought, that she knew.

  Rees turned to an open doorway that looked like all the other doorways crowded on this street. Cloth strips that had once been red fluttered from the doorframe. They’d been fixed behind the storm door, so that the door could drop into place without impediment when a sandstorm blew up.

  The door remained open this afternoon, and sand gritted under their feet.

  More sand lay inside, like no one had bothered to sweep the floor after the storm. The room was bigger than Talan had thought, but mostly empty.

  A couple of men sat on a bench on the other side of the room, huge mugs resting on their knees, their heads back against the wall. One snored.

  A bar took up the entire back wall. Behind it, a tired-looking, but pretty young woman leaned on her elbows. The room was dim, and she blinked against the glare, trying to see who had come in.

  A man came out of the shadows on the left side of the bar. He was tall and broad-shouldered like Rees. He wore a leather jacket that hung open to show a hard-muscled chest. His pants were leather, too, hugging his thighs and hips.

  His black hair was caught loosely in a tail, and his face was square and handsome. He had deep-set blue eyes, a grin that was warm, and a voice that was big and booming.

  “Rees!” He came across the room, clapped Rees hard on the shoulder. “About time you showed up.”

  Chapter Seven

  Talan stared at him. He was Sha reem all right. He had the eyes, the build, the voice.

  He went on jovially, “So what are you doing down here dressed like a rich boy?” His gaze swiveled to Talan, his eyes widened. “Oh, man. Who’s the pretty?”

  Rees drew Talan into the circle of his arm. “Her name is Talan. Talan, this is Rio. My sort-of friend.”

  “Your only friend, boy-o.”

  “He’s a notorious liar. Don’t trust him, don’t believe him, don’t listen to him.”

  Rio’s grin widened. “I’m not as good a liar as you.” He took Talan’s hand. “Let me buy you a drink, sweetheart. I bet you’re thirsty, walking around with him.”

  Rees’ voice took an edge. “She’s with me.”

  Rio cocked a brow at him. “That doesn’t mean I can’t be nice. You get tired of him, Talan, you find me and tell me where it hurts.” He lowered one eyelid in a wink. “Or where you want it to hurt.”

  His Sha reem touch sent a warmth through her, even though she tried to stop it. If he kept up, she’d be on her knees asking if she could unbutton his trousers.

  Rees must have sensed this, because he firmly led Talan to the bar.

  The young woman behind it gave him a smile of welcome. “Hey, Rees.”

  “Judith,” Rees said warmly. “Get Talan a ginger mint.” He named a drink high on flavor, low on alcohol.

  “I can drink ale,” Talan said quickly. Ale was what the lower-class servants drank. She’d never had it before, but this was an adventurous day.

  Rees leaned to her, spoke into her ear. “Not with Rio here.”

  His voice tickled her senses, sent heat through her that far overshadowed Rio.

  She glanced over at the black-haired man. He still watched her. He smiled, but there was something dangerous about him. She could feel it in the air, like a vibration surrounding him.

  She sensed that the only reason Rio held back was because Rees stood between her and him. She suddenly felt glad she hadn’t met the man without Rees present.

  She looked at the woman called Judith. Judith had dark red hair pulled up in a sloppy bun, friendly brown eyes, and a pretty oval face. She dressed in a coverall, pants tucked into boots.

  Talan leaned forward. “Excuse me, but do you have a—um, you know, a ladies?”

  Judith grinned. “Sure. Let me show you.”

  She plunked two ales in front of Rees and Rio, and a tall glass of something minty-smelling in front of Talan. Then she dried her hands, motioned Talan to follow.

  Judith took Talan to an alcove on the other end of the bar, pointed the way to the relieving room. “Don’t let Rio scare you,” she said softly. “He’s got a kind heart, deep inside.”

  They both glanced back. Rio said something to Rees and laughed. Rees shook his head.

  “Deep, deep inside,” Judith finished with a grin. “The toilet’s down there. It’s clean.”

  It was clean, to give Judith credit. The facilities were up to date. Judith obviously took care of the place. She’d even scented the air.

  Talan sterilized her hands, then took a moment to splash her face at the water basin. She needed to cool down. She was barely comfortable with one Sha reem, and now she was confronted with two.

  Rees’ friend, Rio. The level three.

  Judith might tell her not to be afraid, but she thought that fear was healthy about now.

  You never knew what you really felt around Sha reem, Talan was learning. Whenever she looked at Rees, she was struck with longing and hunger. Was that a natural response, or his Sha reem tricks?

  She wanted his hands on her, his mouth everywhere. She wanted him to lift her onto this wash basin and take her right here.

  She suddenly imagined Rees spreading her, pushing his way in with his long, long cock.

  Rio would walk in the room behind Rees, stand there watching. He’d look at her with his dark blue eyes, and smile that smile. She’d get more and more excited, beg Rees to take her harder and harder.

  She’d look at Rio and he’d look at her, then Rees would groan and spill his seed deep inside her. Rio would wink at her and walk quietly out. It would be their secret.

  She dragged in a breath, splashed more water on her face. What was wrong with her? She’d never thought of anything like that before, ever.

  Rees was corrupting all her ideas. He’d come into her life—at her own stupid invitation—and was turning it inside out.

  Meeting Rio wasn’t helping.

  Talan turned to the mirror and saw in dismay that her nipples were hard as little pebbles. They stood out through the thin dress.

  She rubbed them. They just tingled and stood out even more.

  Hurriedly she tried to think about ice cubes and the sandstorm that had torn the force field off the garden this morning.

  Talan shivered. If Rees had not caught her, pulled her to safety, she could have died.

  Her nipples went down a little, but she walked slowly out of the room, lingered in the alcove while she folded her arms over her chest and willed her body to stop!

  Rio and Rees were talking. Their voices were low, but some trick of acoustics carried them to her. Judith was not at the bar, she served more ale to the older men in the corner, talking to them in her easygoing way.

  Rio said, “You struck gold, my friend. Rich and hot.” He stopped when Rees said nothing, frowned. “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing. I just don’t want to tell you the details. She asked me to teach her, so I’m teaching her.” He sounded indifferent.

  “The way she looks at you, you’re doing a fine job.” Rio took a sip of ale. “Want to do a double with her?”

  Rees was quiet for a long moment. “No,” he answered. “She’s not ready.”

  “We could take turns then.”

  “She’s not ready for that either.”

  Rio grinned. “What, is she a virgin?”

  “As a matter of fact—”

  Rio’s eyes widened. “Swear to the gods?” His grin vanished. “Wait a minute, you mean she’s still a virgin? After a night with you?”

  “A night and a day,” Rees said. “I’m taking it slow. She needs it slow.”

  “Sweet gods, why did a virgin who needs to go slow go out with you? She should have gone for a level one.”

  “She didn’t know.”

  “So you’re holding back? That must be hell.”

  Rees took a sip of ale. “It’s not easy. Sh
e’s—” But he did not finish.

  Rio rested his hand on Rees’ shoulder, looked reverent. “Man, you are braver than I thought.”

  Why? Talan wondered. Why brave? And why did Rio imply she’d made a mistake sending for Rees? Rees had been gentle—except when he’d been…not gentle. But he hadn’t frightened her. Much. Not like Rio did.

  “I commend you, my friend.” Rio lifted his ale. “When she’s ready for a double, you know where I’ll be.”

  “Yes, horny.”

  Rio shrugged. “Hey, she’s beautiful. I can’t help myself. Judith, love…”

  Judith went back to the bar with the empties, Talan backed into the shadows until she’d gone by. “What?”

  “Ready to take us on again?” His voice had lowered to its seductive Sha reem tone.

  Judith snorted and slammed the glasses down. “The last time I went out with the pair of you, I was sore for weeks.”

  “I remember you enjoyed yourself, though.”

  Judith looked away, blushing. Rees laughed softly.

  Talan stood in the shadows, trying to banish her dart of jealousy.

  Why should she be jealous? She’d only known Rees a day. He’d been free to do what he liked, with whom he liked, before that.

  She’d felt the same jealousy when that woman had leaned over the balcony on the street.

  Maybe it was the way he was laughing now, in fond memory. Or maybe—

  Maybe because it had just hit her what servicing Talan meant to him. Servicing. Nothing more.

  She’d asked for a teacher, and he was teaching her. When he was done, he’d go back to the lady on the balcony or play a little with Judith. She should care less.

  But pain burned through her, and her eyes stung with tears.

  Well, she had a choice. She could get angry, tell Rees to take her home then send him away.

  Or, she could put aside her petty jealousy and enjoy every single thing Rees had to teach her. He’d teach her until she’d learned enough.

  And then she could consider herself a bold and daring woman. She’d found a Sha reem, just like Lady Ursula in the diary, and thumbed her nose at philosophy.

  Maybe later, she could come back down here, and find Rio…