Feeling lost and alone, Sharon looked around the pactroom. Liken was headed toward her, accepting congratulations as he went. Reaching her, he grabbed her hand again and started pulling the two of them across the room toward the exit. She struggled to keep up with his long strides as they finally reached the hallway. Taking a quick right and then a left, he pulled her into a deserted office and backed her up against the wall.
Startled, she pulled her hand from his. Bringing both hands up against his chest, she pushed against him as he crowded her. He wasn’t actually touching her, but there were only inches separating them. Taking her chin, he raised her face so that their eyes met. “I cannot wait any longer.” There was urgency in his voice and something suspiciously like need.
Sharon, feeling a wave of pure panic, choked out, “Don’t!”
“It is my right…” Bringing both hands to cradle her face gently, but firmly, he lowered his mouth toward hers.
She expected a hard, devouring kiss. Instead, he played teasingly with her lips, lightly touching then withdrawing, then touching again. Her lips tingled and she felt like all the air was being drawn from her lungs. He kissed one corner, softly touching it with his tongue, then licked outward along the rest of her mouth. The soft wetness of his tongue, the gentle firmness of his lips made her feel restless, unsatisfied. She felt helpless under the gentle assault. His tongue kept inching closer along the seam of her mouth, seeking entrance.
“Open for me,sherree…let me taste you…” His voice was sinfully soft and beguiling, as he continued luring her.
She could feel her lips parting with a sigh. He took immediate advantage, breaching her lips gently and then finding her tongue with his own. With that discovery, he ran his tongue along hers, penetrating her, mimicking the act both their bodies craved. He continued to thrust gently until her tongue began to parry. With her response, the kiss changed entirely.
Like a match thrown on gasoline, his body moved forward into hers. The hands on her face moved down to her shoulders and then slid around her body between her and the wall. He stroked her like a cat and then used those hands to pull her forward against the hard length of his body.
Her nipples tightened and hardened. She felt the moistness between her legs. He felt so good against her. Every inch of him was hard. Cradling his erection between her thighs, she rubbed and felt a burst of pleasure. With a moan, she started to press herself even closer. With a moan of his own, he pushed his hips forward, pressing upwards hard and then teasingly easing back.
Then, she felt something else entirely. Like the tickling of a feather, his mind brushed softly against hers. The realization stunned her. Before she could react, the touch grew firmer. His mind was pressing against hers like their bodies were pressed against each other. She froze, every muscle locking up. Her hands, which had somehow been clinging to his shoulders like a lifeline, squeezed hard in protest. Pushing her head back against the wall, she said tightly, “Let me go. Now.”
Liken, searched her face as he tried to bring his breathing under control. God, she was beautiful. She felt like pure pleasure under his hands. Every cell in his body ached to disregard her words and take her. His cock was hard, throbbing. Calling on all his discipline, he reminded himself that she was essentially a virgin when it came to Shimerian ways. Purposefully gentling his hands, he rubbed her back as he moved his hands up to her shoulders. He would have her soon, but he had to proceed with care.
“You are right, Sharon. We need to get to the portal. There will be time enough for such pleasures later.” He could barely wait as images of the coming pleasure flashed through his mind.
Sharon blinked as if coming out of a daze. He looked hungry enough to forget about waiting and just take her, rules or no rules. Her cheeks began to burn with color and she said, “We are not doing this again. I don’t know you. I’m not sure I even like you. You can’t just kiss me whenever you want. We need to set some guidelines here…” Her words faltered as his face grew harsh.
“You would go back on your oath?” He felt angry that she was threatening it when he knew she would do no such a thing.
Sharon was surprised at his vehemence. “No, no I didn’t say that,” she said quickly. “I just need some time to get used to things, okay? I went to work at the library this morning. This afternoon, I took an Oath I had nearly forgotten about and didn’t really expect to have to do. You yanked me out of the room and started kissing me. We need to slow down here…”
Liken shook his head. “There is no slowing down, only moving forward from here. Any intimacy we have shared can be repeated at your will or mine. I can take further intimacies at prescribed times in the days to come, but never forget: once you allow something, I can do it again at my choosing.”
Her eyes looked angry. “Gee, thanks for the patience and understanding, big guy.”
His voice gentled. “I can be patient and understanding,sherree. But I am also a demanding person. That cannot be helped. How can you expect to share such pleasure with me, and then ask me to forego it? I am merely being honest with you.”
Sharon shook her head. “Whatever. Let’s just get to theportal.I’m tired of being surprised and confused. Of not knowingwhat to expect from one moment to the next. I hate surprises. I hate this.Let’s just go and get this over with.”
Liken leaned down and placed a hard kiss against her mouth. It was over with before she could object. Taking her hand again in his, he strode out of the room and down the hallway. As they approached the lobby of the massive building, Sharon saw a sign indicating the portal for Shimeria was down two flights of stairs and to the left.
As they walked,she realized suddenly that all she had were the clothes she was wearing. She wasn’t exactly prepared for interplanetary travel. She tried to slow her steps as she asked Liken,“What about my clothes, my things? I didn’t even think about leaving right after the Oath.”
Liken kept them moving forward as he said, “All has been prepared. I’ve known about you for a year, Sharon. You have all you need at my dwelling.”
“Ohhh. Okay. Sure.” She couldn’t seem to focus. She wondered if her system had sustained too many shocks for one day. The pact reps, the oath, him, his kisses, his touch… She needed to focus her thoughts and think about this whole thing in a more orderly, logical fashion.
As they walked, she considered what had happened in the deserted office minutes ago, trying to be more objective. It had been exciting. He had been forceful, but gentle. Things might not be so bad. That mind thing was weird, but he had stopped immediately. He might be predatory in some ways, but he had backed off when she asked.
She sighed unconsciously. There was nothing she could do to change things. Logically, it was childish and unproductive to sulk or fight with him constantly. She would do as she had told Kate. Make the best of it.
With a conciliatory smile, she told him, “I’m sorry. I don’t know or remember much about Shimeria and its customs. The one class I had was years…” She stopped as what he said suddenly hit her. “A year? What do you mean you’ve known about me for a year?”
They had reached the portal and this was one discussion he hoped to avoid for a time. He used the distraction of the busy room as an excuse to not answer. There were Shimerians streaming through one portal on the right. They were showing ID cards to custom officers as they passed.
Sharon and Liken approached their own checkpoint for customs. Liken turned and handed her a Shimerian ID card. It had her name on it. She studied it in silence. Obviously, he really had made preparations for her. As Liken handed the officer his ID card and responded to his questions, Sharon waited impatiently. She wasn’t going to drop this discussion.
The customs officer handed Liken back his card and then asked for hers. With a bureaucratic look of apathy that was recognizable on any planet, he glanced at her card and then handed it back. With a disinterested smile, he waived them forward. Sharon went a few more steps and then halted in awe.
She had been so focused on Liken that she had not noticed her surroundings. She gulped as she took in the two portals for the first time. She had never traveled off planet or seen one of the portals. Each portal structure was at least two stories tall. Made like an oval gate, the metal was unrecognizable. There were lever-like devices to the side that appeared to operate the opening and closing of the gate. Inside the open gate, was dense, flat blackness.
It would be like stepping into nothingness. She watched the other portal as Shimerians coming to Earth stepped through unharmed. They didn’t appear to be missing any appendages.
Liken, remembering his awe and momentary fear when seeing the portal the first time, waited for her to begin walking again. In this situation at least, he would give her time.
Reminding herself logically that Liken had obviously survived it, she started walking. At the edge of the portal he stopped and looked down at her. “Sharon, we cannot go at the same time. Unpledged females such as yourself must arrive on Shimeria alone to signify you are coming of your own free will. I will go first. Once I disappear, step through.”
She pulled her eyes away from the portal to look up at him.“You trust me to step through after you?” she said with some surprise.
“Of course,” he said with a smile. “You have courage and will not break your oath. Besides, my mind brushed yours. I have some sense of what you feel. You have been through much today, but you are curious, too. I will be waiting on the other side,sherree. Once there, I will satisfy your curiosity. I will satisfy you in any way you desire.” With a wink and a quick kiss, he stepped through. With one step, he was gone and Sharon was left staring into the dense blackness of the portal.
For about ten seconds, she considered proving him wrong. With a sigh, and a muttered “Idesire to stay here, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Know-It-All” under her breath, she stepped through. She had made her choice. What the hell.