“Oh…” His gentle kiss seemed to burn her but somehow Trin found she couldn’t pull her hand from his and couldn’t look away from him either. She knew the big Havoc was just putting on a show for their hostess but those silvery-blue eyes ringed with black seemed to be staring into her very soul. Goddess, he was a really good actor! She could almost believe he meant what he was saying. Almost.
“Thrace,” she whispered uncertainly, her mouth dry. “I…I…”
“Oh my.” Lady Tam-tam put a hand between her breasts and sighed deeply. “My dears, that is just the most romantic story I have ever heard! Truly, the two of you belong here. In fact, I want you to sit with me at the grand reception tonight.”
“Of course, Lady Tam-tam. It would be our honor,” Trin said. Somehow she pulled her gaze away from Thrace’s at last but he continued holding her hand in his much larger one. “And…will we get to meet your body-slave, Nales?” she asked the older woman.
“Alas, no.” Lady Tam-tam dabbed at her eyes with a scrap of lace she produced from her sleeve. “Poor Nales has been gone these last seven cycles and I do miss him so.” She sniffed. “But it does cheer me up a bit to watch sweet young people like you and your own body-slave so devoted to you. Just like Nales was devoted to me.” She smiled at Trin. “I’m so glad you could come!”
“It’s kind of you to have us. And kind of Lady Malroth to sponsor me in the first place,” Trin said, nodding diplomatically to the forgotten Lady Malroth who smiled back sourly.
“Yes, yes, of course.” Lady Tam-tam waved one hand dismissively. “Now why don’t the two of you come with me? I have a special room for the both of you—a dreaming room and you know there are only five in the entire house so they’re very in demand. In fact, this one was going to go to Lady Malroth but I’m sure she won’t mind—will you my dear?”
Lady Malroth’s face had been twisted into a disagreeable mask of irritation but she did her best to smooth it out and put on a fake smile.
“No, of course not, Lady Tam-tam. Nothing’s too good for my little protégé.”
“Excellent! Well, come on then!” She took Trin affectionately by the arm. “And we’ll find a different collar for your love-slave as well—that’s what I like to call a slave who loves his mistress and is truly devoted to her,” she explained. “We’ll get him one with no pain nodes in it. He is still your slave and it is well to symbolize that—but we must never forget that he serves you from adoration, not fear of pain. Yes?”
“Yes, of course,” Trin murmured. “I never wanted to put the collar back on him to start with,” she said, truthfully. “But I thought I had no choice. I…we had no idea…”
“No idea what a sanctuary you have here for slaves who love their mistresses,” Thrace supplied smoothly.
“What a lovely way to put it,” Lady Tam-tam said, smiling. “A sanctuary. I like that. Yes, I like that very much.”
She pulled Trin and Thrace, who was still holding her hand, towards the house. But as they went, Trin looked back at Lady Malroth. The other mistress scarcely looked happier than when Lady Tam-tam had been about to kick them off her estate. And to top it off, they had taken her room and it appeared that they were stuck at Dreaming Hills at least for tonight.
Goddess, what had they gotten themselves into and how long would it take to get out of it?
* * * * *
“Well, here we are—dreaming suite three—just perfect for the two of you.” Lady Tam-tam smiled broadly as she ushered Trin and Thrace across the threshold of an opulently decorated room. It was a vast space with a sitting-room area at one end and a huge sleeping platform on a raised dais at the other. There was a viewscreen on the wall across from the bed, Thrace noted. It seemed like an odd place to put an expensive communication device but it might come in handy for searches or talking to The Alacrity if they had to.
The sleeping platform had four towering carved golden posts at each corner which supported a massive blue and gold canopy overhead. It was high and wide with a thick mattress—plenty big enough for two which was good considering Lady Tam-tam’s next statement.
“I don’t believe in making a loving and devoted slave sleep on the floor or in a hideaway slave bed. Here at Dreaming Hills, your love-slave is welcome to share your bed…in any way you choose.” She gave Trin a meaningful look.
Trin’s dark eyes grew wide.
“Lady Tam-tam, surely…you don’t mean…”
“Oh, my dear—I didn’t mean you should let him penetrate you or anything like that,” Lady Tam-tam said, obviously seeing her embarrassment. “I mean, there are limits—he is still a slave and a male. Of course…” Her eyes gleamed. “If you want to penetrate him, well, that’s different. In fact, later on in the celebration we’ll have a night devoted specifically to the beauty of male submission.”
“You will?” Trin swallowed hard and Thrace tried to keep from wincing. He hoped like hell they were long gone before that particular night came around. He didn’t mind being Trin’s slave and serving her in any capacity but there were limits to what he was able to endure.
“We will,” Lady Tam-tam said. “But I just want you to feel free to explore each other here in a loving way and know that no one will judge you for it.” She winked at both of them broadly and smiled.
“Of…of course.” Trin appeared to have trouble getting the words out but Thrace was very interested indeed. It seemed that body-slaves had a proscribed role here at Dreaming Hills but it was considerably looser than elsewhere on Yonnie Six. He would have to learn the exact parameters of his new boundaries in order to get this right.
Finally, after many hints and nods, Lady Tam-tam left them alone. Trin sank down on the edge of the vast sleeping platform and gave a deep, relieved sigh.
“Whew! That was crazy.”
“Mmm-hmm.” Thrace came to stand before her. “Lady Tam-tam seems damn taken with you though, Mistress.”
“That’s thanks to you,” Trin remarked. “You really saved us back there! That kiss was…quick thinking.” She looked down at her hands. “Not that I think you ought to repeat it.”
“Why not, Mistress?” Thrace said softly. “Was it too intense for you?”
“Of course not.” Trin lifted her chin though he could see that her cheeks were flushed. “It’s just…not—”
“Not right? Not proper?” Thrace finished for her. “I have news for you, Trin, we’re probably going to have to do some other ‘improper’ things while we’re here. You know what Yonnite society is like—I’ve only researched it but you’ve lived it—at least to an extent. You know what they expect.”
“I think we’ve already seen that the expectations are different here,” Trin argued. “Look at what just happened—on most of Yonnie Six the idea of a male slave kissing his mistress on the mouth would have been a flogging or pain collar offense. It was damn risky of you to even try it.”
Thrace shrugged.
“No guts, no glory. I thought it was worth the risk since we were getting kicked out anyway.”
Also, he’d wanted to do it—wanted to taste her sweet lips. The kiss they’d shared down on the gemstone path was burned into his mind and he couldn’t help wanting more. And he had a feeling that Trin might too—even if she wouldn’t admit it. The way she’d melted in his arms hadn’t been just an act—he could damn well tell by how hot her scent got. But this wasn’t the time to bring any of that up so he simply shrugged again. “Anyway—it worked and we’re in.”
“We’re in,” Trin echoed. “But now what?” She kicked the high-heeled shoes he’d simmed for her. “Whew! It feels so good to get those off!”
“Now we find out exactly what our roles are here and how different it really is from the rest of Yonnie Six,” Thrace murmured. Sinking to his knees before her, he took one of her dainty feet in his hands and began to rub.