LOGAN (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 5) Page 6

  Brianne rose from her chair and slowly paced the office as she continued.

  "When the fighting ended and the women left the shelters, they discovered that nearly half of the male populace was dead and the planet had been decimated. Without the men to restrain them, the women's natural superiority surfaced. They used their innate skills to rebuild the cities and reorganize Heart's culture, with the focus on peace and serenity." Reaching that point, Brianne stopped but her mother motioned for her to continue.

  "It was clear that the men's violent instincts were solely responsible for the death and destruction. In the restructured society their behavior was controlled, first by physical restraints, later by medication."

  "Something else was attempted," Parisia reminded her.

  Brianne frowned thoughtfully then her eyes lit up with recollection. "Yes, genetic alteration was attempted, but the results were so disastrous, further attempts to permanently alter the men were outlawed. They used only the special antidote thereafter.

  "As long as men were required for reproduction, they couldn't be eliminated, but the women soon learned how to accomplish conception without having to subject their bodies to invasion as if they were dumb animals."

  She returned to the chair and folded her hands on her lap. "I remember asking you what an invasion was. Your explanation was so upsetting I didn't ask another question for days. Did Koballa learn something new about the reproductive process?"

  Parisia hesitated a moment before answering. Someday she would have to have another discussion with Brianne about conception but not today. "No, dear. It's not that. Koballa's report includes information regarding the possible destruction of a humanoid planet in the Templar System."

  "That's light-years away from here. The information, if it was factual, would be ancient by the time news reached us."

  "Not necessarily. Koballa states that several cultures represented at the conference are developing faster-than-light travel. Soon no corner of the universe will be out of reach. If we accept that fact, then we must consider the possibility that the information from the Templar System could be current and accurate."

  Brianne looked doubtful. She had to see something to believe it. "How was the planet supposedly destroyed?"

  Parisia took a slow breath. "An army of giant worm-like beings, with the ability to morph their shape, attacked unexpectedly, killed every human and levelled the cities."

  "Velids?" Brianne asked in a shocked whisper. "But they're mythical creatures."

  "What if they're not? What if the legend is completely true, and those beings are still seeking revenge against the human race? With faster than light travel, might they return to Heart one day in the near future?"

  "Oh, Mother, I hope you're wrong."

  "So do I. But it brings up a serious question. What will we do if there really is a threat out there? If not today, tomorrow? We've lived in total peace for thousands of years, as have all the other life forms in this quadrant. We have no weapons, no defenses. There has never been a need for such."

  "Surely we could request assistance from outside."

  Parisia raised her eyebrows a notch. "Request assistance? From one of the more aggressive, male-dominated planets that we have always shunned? I wouldn't count on them hurrying to our rescue after we've consistently refused to deal with them. No, I believe we would be on our own. My question to you is this. Do you think an unsubstantiated rumor is sufficient for me to go before the Parliament and suggest we alter our constitution to permit the creation of a defense system and the manufacture of weaponry?"

  Brianne needed to rise and pace again before answering. "If you go before Parliament with a rumor, you could be ridiculed. Worse, suggesting we change one of the basic laws of our people could get you impeached and Nadia would lead the move against you. However, if you do nothing and the threat is real, our world will come to an end and protecting your position will have been futile." She stopped and met Parisia's troubled gaze. "If I were the Imperial Prefect, I would have to argue for self-protection."

  Parisia gave her a sad smile. "Good. Because that's precisely what I'm going to do. But I feel like I'm walking into a cage of hungry she-wolves."

  "When do you plan to talk to Parliament?"

  Parisia glanced at the calendar on the wall. "Three days. That should be sufficient time for the new crossovers to be fully assimilated before I introduce any new problems."

  She didn't tell Brianne what was bothering her more than suggesting Heart develop a defense system. If Parliament could be convinced to change the law, who would design it? Who would implement it? She didn't believe a single female on Heart was capable of killing another being. Only men, in their natural state, had the aggressive traits necessary to wage war, and Heart men had been medicated for so many generations, no one knew if the neutralization could be completely reversed at all let alone in time to make a difference. In any event, Parisia was certain the women would never agree to expose themselves to male dominance, even if it meant survival of the race.

  * * *

  Nadia of Hinac pretended to listen to the inane gossip of the two women that had waylaid her. Her need to keep them as supporters forced her to be polite and feign interest, though her mind was on a drastically different track.

  She had spent an hour that morning in the Observation Room watching the new crossovers awaken. Some of the observers with her were repulsed by the barbaric behavior of the Earth men. Others, like the Imperial Prefect's brat, were intrigued, in the way a child might study an ant colony.

  Nadia's reaction was neither of those, though no one else could tell. Outwardly, she showed disgust and spoke of how relieved she would be once the antidote took effect. Inwardly, her pulse raced, her stomach fluttered and she had to clench her thighs to ease the itch between them.

  It had begun when she received news of their arrival. So many of them at once. Some in chains. Some with weapons. The danger was so close she could practically taste it.

  She had given in to the temptation to watch them being taken care of in the hospital, knowing that later she would be obsessed by visions of their large, masculine, nude bodies. Tortured by fantasies of how she could use them to satisfy her secret needs—needs that women weren't supposed to have. But the itch had already begun and she was never able to resist the dark pleasure that followed it.

  At a very young age, Nadia had learned that the itch was not normal and shouldn't be mentioned, not even to one's own mother. The result of revealing an unhealthy interest in the male gender was medication. It only took a few doses for Nadia to realize she didn't like having her personal strength neutralized. After that, she kept her curiosity secret and became the perfect Heart woman... at least in public.

  In private she experimented with different ways to appease the itch. Before long, she discovered that she could increase the intensity of the satisfaction by prolonging the build-up. Sometimes, she would make herself wait all day before giving in to it. She would ease the throbbing a little by crossing her legs or squirming in a chair, but she would hold off the final burst of sensation until she was nearly crazed with need. That way, the sweet darkness was often so powerful, it would last half the night.

  There were times when the itch came on by itself but more often it followed thoughts about men. Like every school girl, she had learned the facts about the male species and why they had to be medicated. In their natural state, they posed a severe danger to women. Their strength, aggressive nature, and especially their male anatomy were all structured to dominate.

  While the other girls were shivering with distaste, Nadia had trembled with excitement. The characteristics of men that Heart women were so adamant about controlling became the trigger for Nadia's secret fantasies.

  Throughout Heart, men were forbidden by law to touch a woman without her permission and proper behavior dictated that such permission should be granted only under very specific circumstances. Thus, Nadia could only imagine feeling their forceful hands
on her body, touching all her private, ticklish places.

  The day she had learned how animals reproduced and equated the activity to humans, the itch had been so demanding, she had been forced to seek the privacy of the school lavatory to relieve it.

  During one of her private experiments, she discovered the pleasure she could generate by pushing the hard, rounded handle of her hairbrush in and out of her womanpiece and her fantasies took on a new dimension.

  While medicated, Heart men did not suffer from the malady that made their manpiece swell and harden while their minds emptied of everything except thoughts of relief. While medicated, a man was unable to invade a woman's body with his mighty weapon... even if he was given permission.

  Nadia became so obsessed with the idea of using a man's body to stop the itch, one day she ordered her mother's personal servant to remove his clothing so that she could inspect his anatomy. Her examination clearly made him uncomfortable but his manpiece failed to enlarge, even when she pulled on it.

  Since men were not permitted to attend school, he had never been taught the lessons Nadia had. He hadn't known what it was she had expected from him, but he could see he had somehow disappointed her and had been willing to accept whatever punishment she saw fit.

  The rush of power she had experienced in response to his submissive attitude launched a whole new series of experiments for her. While the antidote tempered a man's masculinity, it also enhanced his need to provide useful service.

  After that day, she'd spent long hours imagining unique ways a servant could be put to use and ingenious ways to punish him if his performance was less than satisfactory. Unfortunately, she was unable to enact any of her fantasies without risk of being medicated herself.

  Though daughters normally remained in their mothers' homes all their lives, Nadia found the arrangement suffocating. By the time she'd reached her thirtieth year, she decided she needed a home of her own. With her freedom came privacy and she selected her personal servant with great care. Fulton was completely inexperienced but especially pleasing to her eye and anxious to be of service. She quickly guaranteed his loyalty to her by utilizing his sperm to fertilize her egg.

  Following the birth of their daughter, Chloe, childcare was added to Fulton's responsibilities. Only after Nadia was certain of his attachment to the child, did she begin demanding more unusual services from him.

  As politically ambitious as she was, she had to be very protective of her reputation, which meant she had to be certain Fulton would never speak to anyone about the special services she required of him. Technically, he was still her employee and, though he didn't have all the same privileges as a woman, he had the right to change employers if he was unhappy, or felt he was being mistreated. Another employer, particularly one who was a supporter of Parisia, might encourage him to gossip about her, and that could spell disaster.

  Unwilling to give up her secret pleasures despite the risk of discovery, Nadia found ways to bind Fulton to her. Through trial and error, she learned that he thrived on words of praise about his work and would do absolutely anything for a few minutes of being petted by her. If she criticized his work or ignored him entirely, he would be desperate to make it up to her. Only a handful of times had she caused him physical pain, but the threat of it was always there.

  Then, of course, she made sure he knew that if he ever left her, he would never be permitted to see Chloe again.

  All things considered, their association had gone along rather smoothly for the last five years. But recently, she'd become bored with the predictability of his behavior and had begun thinking of hiring another young, trainable man.

  If only there was a way she could acquire one of the Earth men.

  Several of them had been especially appealing to her and the dark-skinned men were so different from any she'd seen before. Then there was that tall, dark-haired man with a scarred face and the larger than average manpiece. He would undoubtedly be the lead character in her fantasies for weeks to come.

  For now, however, Fulton and his limited abilities were all she could count on to ease the itch that the Earth men had caused.

  As soon as she entered her home, she let him know the mood she was in by her greeting. "Fulton! Where are you, you lazy creature?"

  "In the kitchen," he replied. As she strode into that room, he gave her a hesitant smile. "I've made your favorite sweet to go with your tea."

  "I don't want tea," she snapped. "I called to tell you I was coming home for a bath, not tea. If you don't start paying better attention when I give you instructions, I am going to replace you. Do you understand me?"

  Fulton frowned and bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Nadia. You didn't say how long it would take for you to get home and I was worried that the bath water would cool if I prepared it too soon. I'll get it ready immediately." He took a step then paused and looked back at the tea kettle. "Shall I pour you some tea—"

  "I said I don't want tea, you dolt! Go, before I lose my patience entirely." As Fulton hurried from the kitchen, Nadia's pulse quickened. He had been on the verge of tears. In fact, he was probably in her dressing room sniveling away while the water ran. He was primed to do anything she ordered and she was aching for much more than the usual bath. There probably wouldn't be a better time to try out her new creation.

  As she considered how she could introduce it to Fulton, she broke off a chunk of the sweet he had baked for her and placed it in her mouth. Rich chocolate superbly blended with black raspberry melted on her tongue. Though Fulton was beginning to bore her in some ways, his culinary skills assured him a permanent position in her household no matter how often she threatened to get rid of him.

  She finished the sweet and headed for her bath. She had designed the spacious dressing room with her unique needs in mind. The walls and closet doors were mirrored, and the floor was covered with plush black carpeting. On one side of the room was an oversized black tub with gold fixtures, and on the other side was a gold velvet chaise wide enough for two people to lay on at the same time. The few women who had seen the room questioned such extravagance for something so private. They preferred to show off their luxuries. But Nadia had always been a little different from the other women.

  As she entered the dressing room, she smelled the perfumed oil rising with the steam. Fulton stood next to the tub, awaiting her. As usual, he had undressed, so that his clothing would not get wet while he assisted her. She gave his ample body a lingering look. He was taller, heavier, and broader across the shoulders than she, but he lacked the hardness that she noticed about the Earth men. Looking at his short dark hair, she decided to focus her attention on that feature and pretend he was the scarred crossover that had fascinated her.

  "You may remove my robe," she stated in a harsh tone to remind him he had yet to make up for his earlier failure to please.

  In the mirrors, she watched him move around her, carefully drawing back the hood of her robe and untying the bow at her throat without touching any part of her. With the same caution, he undid the fastenings down the front of the garment and slipped it off her body.

  As he hung up the robe, she reminded herself that the longer she could put off the physical contact, the better the reward would be. "Now brush my hair out. Slowly."

  One at a time, he removed the pins that kept her waist-length black hair wrapped in a braided crown around her head. With unhurried strokes, he brushed it out until it hung around her like a satin cape.

  Nadia was always fascinated by her own transformation from civilized woman to primitive creature. "That's enough. You may take my slip and briefs. Carefully."

  She hadn't needed to say that. She knew he would take the utmost care not to touch her flesh until she gave him the specific order to do so. As he removed her briefs, she wondered if he noticed how damp the crotch was today and whether his dull mind ever figured out what that meant. She doubted it.

  "You may touch my hand to help me into the tub. And make sure my hair doesn't get wet."


  As she submerged her body in the deep water, Fulton placed a pillow behind her head and draped her hair over the back of the tub. Normally the hot, perfumed water would instantly start relaxing her but today the itch was too strong to be calmed so easily. Fulton dipped a washcloth into the water and held it out to her.

  "I'm quite worn out today. You do it." He pressed the cloth to one of her feet but she kicked it away. "Not with the cloth. Use your hands. The way I showed you before. Remember, the doctor said I have poor circulation and should be vigorously massaged to improve the condition." She closed her eyes and smothered a sigh as his fingers closed over the toes of her one foot and squeezed. It would take some time for him to get to her abdomen, but he had learned the routine well and it would be worth the wait.

  One leg, up to the hip joint. The other leg. One arm, then the other. Her nipples were tightly puckered long before his palms pressed over them. He kneaded her breasts and rolled the nipples until her breath came in gasps. "Go on," she whispered, and his fingers slid down over her stomach and into her womanpiece.

  Instantly she felt the first streak of pleasure and gripped the sides of the tub. "More," she said, spreading her thighs so that he could fit his whole hand over her. "Faster," she demanded, gyrating her hips in the opposite direction of his motions. When the explosion came, she bit her lip to keep from crying out. It would not do to let him know how very well he had served.

  She rested in the tub awhile, but the itch was still nagging at her. This was definitely the day to teach Fulton a new trick.

  She gave him permission to help her out of the tub and towel her off. While he was on his knees, drying her feet, she ran her fingers through his hair. His hopeful gaze leapt to hers. "Did I hurt your feelings before, Fulton?"

  He lowered his eyes again. "I deserved your criticism. I wasn't attentive."