“How much did you pay for your slave?” Keltar asked.
“Two-fifty,” Dolnark said.
“I will pay your debts in exchange for the slave Jor-ja,” Keltar said calmly.
Gulnark again looked to his father for approval, then nodded quietly to Keltar.
And just like that, the confrontation was over. The crowd walked into the village, Keltar holding Jorja’s arm possessively, and Niktus leading Beth by her leash.
Beth’s heart leaped with her gratitude for her “master.” He stared down those thugs and exerted control over the situation. She didn’t mind being led. On Earth, it would be degrading; on Devon, it gave her a sense of belonging, of value, that the other villagers respected.
Jorja, of course, felt the same way toward Keltar. And now he owned her! Her loins ached with the thought of what lay ahead for them tonight.
Tonight, apparently, was too long to wait for Keltar. No sooner had they reached the village then he pushed her up against a wall and indicated she should bend over and brace herself against it. Jorja reddened, and glanced at Beth, who graciously turned her head away and followed Niktus down the street.
Jorja remembered the last time a man had tried to force her to have public sex. She kicked the shit out of him. She wasn’t about to do that to her rescuer, yet she wanted to let him know that she considered herself a fighter, not a slave.
“Fighters don’t have sex in public,” she declared, her gaze steady.
Keltar stopped as if slapped. Several in the crowd gasped at the effrontery. As one, they turned to see Keltar’s reaction to such talk. “Then we fight,” he said after a few seconds.
This was the last thing she expected to hear from the taciturn trainer. Yet how could she have accepted anything else? She had challenged his manhood, his honor, in front of the town—now she had to fight the man she was falling in love with.
“When?” She asked, her voice betraying her emotion.
“Now. The main fight scheduled today has still not occurred and I think the crowd would enjoy another exhibition bout. Let’s go.”
The crowd roared their approval. Jorja found herself propelled along toward the main square once again.
“I don’t want to fight you,” she whispered, hoping no one else could hear.
“You left me no choice,” he said out of the side of his mouth.
“But one or both of us might get hurt. You might damage your new fighter,” she responded urgently. He said nothing, just continued to haul her along beside him. Jorja could see his jaw twitching.
They reached the square. She was dragged up onto the platform and thrust into the ring. The crowd filled in quickly as news of the fight spread. To the side, Jorja could see Klasdor and Ripatus watching, their arms folded over their massive chests. They talked in low tones to each other, as if making a bet on the outcome. She scanned the crowd and saw others betting, holding up fingers and nodding.
Jorja spotted Beth and Niktus entering the square. She was glad to see her—before the bout was over, she might need a doctor, she mused.
She squared off with Keltar, her heart pounding. She didn’t want to do this. She wanted to make love to him, not fight him. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to be treated publicly like a mere slave. She had worked too hard to set herself apart from the native women of this planet—Beth too, for that matter. She felt she would be fighting for the doctor’s honor as well.
It seemed to be a no-win situation. If she fought hard and lost, Keltar probably would hurt her badly. If she won, Keltar would never forgive her for making him lose face. She could see the determination in his face.
Suddenly, Jorja understood what she had to do.
Chapter 35
The umpire shouted for them to begin and Jorja and Keltar came together quickly. Keltar made a grab that Jorja easily parried. She had an opening for a kick to the stomach, but she let the opportunity pass. Instead, she tried a sweeping hook kick, a flashy, but often ineffectual move. Keltar blocked it easily, then pushed her off-balance. She fell to the platform and quickly rolled away before he could fall on her.
He let her rise without interference. He came again with a technique Jorja had seen him do many times in practice—a high-low combination that often fooled the rookies. She blocked the feint to her face, then tightened her stomach against the blow that followed. Jorja pretended it hurt her worse than it did. She staggered back as the crowd cheered.
Keltar allowed himself to become cocky, and followed up quickly with a grab that was designed to push her into the ropes. She spun around and kicked, holding back as she did, feeling her foot connect with his midsection. Startled, he let go of her and backed away, shaking his head.
He grinned at her, as if he knew what she was doing. She felt they were on the same wavelength. For some reason, Jorja found this to be highly stimulating. She couldn’t believe it. They were in the middle of a fight, even if she was just making a show of it, and the interplay was making her hot. Maybe it’s because she was doing it for Keltar and he knew it. She was letting him save face and that really was the only possible solution to this dilemma he created when he tried to exert his command over her.
I’d have sex with you anytime, just not in public—we Earth women haven’t come that far yet!
He came in again with a technique he had taught her just yesterday—a sweeping action that knocked most opponents off their feet. Jorja had taught him a counter to it—a quick jump up, legs tucked tight, a fraction of a second before his leg struck the back of hers, causing him to fall off balance. When she landed a second later, she had been in a perfect position to counter-punch him. This time, she let his technique work and landed on her back, slapping her right arm down to absorb the blow.
Jorja pretended to be hurt. She rolled around on the platform, while Keltar strutted about, waiting for her to rise. The umpire finally stepped in and declared the trainer the winner.
He graciously helped her to her feet and they left as the crowd roared its approval. Jorja “limped” along with Keltar’s arm about her waist. His touch electrified her. They walked to the training compound alone, as Klasdor and Ripatus made their way into the ring for the big fight, drawing the crowd’s attention.
“Don’t you want to see them fight?” she asked.
“No. Klasdor’s going to win. The bets are down already.”
“The fight’s fixed?”
“No. But Klasdor is a very good fighter. I trained them both. I know who will prevail. I’m more worried about you.”
“I’ll be OK. I’m not really hurt, you know.”
“I know. I wanted to thank you for not challenging me there. I would have lost my position as trainer if I had lost to a woman.”
“I figured as much. I really didn’t want to fight. you” She straightened up after they were inside, out of sight. Jorja put a hand on his strong broad face. “I’d enjoy having sex with you—but we just don’t do it in public where I’m from.”
He nodded. “You are quite different from Baktu women. I must remember.”
They went into the shower room and cleaned up. They left, naked and dripping wet, letting their hands roam over each other’s bodies. Jorja was dripping wet in another part of her anatomy as well, she noticed. Their playfulness caused Keltar’s erection to grow. It was like a club sticking out from between his legs. Jorja was fascinated by it, like a snake charmer might be.
They practically fell into Keltar’s room, stumbling to the bedding. The water had evaporated already from their skin. They clung together as they rolled as one, Jorja kissing the trainer, feeling a true kinship with this humanoid like she had never felt with an Earth man. Here was a big strong man she could hang onto.
He fondled her breasts, causing an electric current to spark between her nipples and her cunt. She had to have him, now.
She wrapped her legs around him, opening her cunt to his hard cock. He teased her for a few minutes, letting just the tip slide past her engorged labial lips as her cunt sucked at him.