by Aubrey Ross
Cover art: Bryan Keller
ISBN: 978-1-60521-417-7
Genre(s): Paranormal, Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi, BDSM
Series: Codename Courtesan
Length: Novella
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Blurb:
When Evard Keenan sends for a pleasure ambassador, Spring knows it's the only opportunity she'll have to recruit the mysterious Chemist. She anticipates the danger of her mission, yet she's unprepared for the passion that ignites with their first kiss. Never before has she longed for another with such aching intensity. She believes in the Resistance, and she'll complete her assignment regardless of the cost. But now that she's tasted the pleasures only found in his embrace, how will she find the strength to walk away?
Evard is every bit as much a captive of the ruthless Gathosians as the people of Earth. He knows the Resistance is his only hope of escaping his tormentors, and he's just as sure Spring is part of the Resistance. He will seduce her, captivate and pleasure her, until she will no longer consider leaving him behind.
Excerpt:
Codename Courtesan: Spring
Aubrey Ross
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2011 Aubrey Ross
This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.
With his heartbeat thundering in his ears, Evard Keenan triple checked the results of his most recent simulation. If this data were accurate, and he had no reason to believe otherwise, he had finally found a stable antidote for the Gathosian compound.
Hope and dread bombarded him from opposite sides, shredding his composure. He wanted to shout for joy and scream in frustration, but he couldn't afford to draw attention to himself with any sort of emotional outburst. Concealing his conflict behind professional detachment, he quickly saved the simulation and encrypted the file. He pushed back from his workstation and stood, glancing around the modest lab. Everything was neat and orderly, and he was alone.
What had he expected? He was always alone, unless he counted Inwatta's unwanted visits or the infrequent appearance of one of the guards.
Inwatta, his enemy and tormentor. She often appeared when he allowed his thoughts to dwell on her, so he tried to shove the subject from his mind. The Gathosians had arrived on Earth four years ago, but he'd been their prisoner much longer. His people, the Bartonese, had the unhappy distinction of being compatible with Gathosian energy. The Bartonese also had regenerative capabilities seldom found in humanoid species. As a result, they were often used as physical hosts and corporeal anchors for the interdimensional conquerors.
Evard gave himself a firm mental shake. Thinking about Inwatta's people was not drawing his thoughts far enough away from his hated captor, and it was imperative that he solidify a strategy before he encountered her again.
It had taken him the better part of six years to refine the formula, and he still wasn't certain it would work in real life conditions. How could he move beyond theory when he was isolated from the rest of the world? He needed access to a fully mechanized lab and numerous test subjects.
Earth based technology was a bit primitive, but it was easily salvaged from the abandoned sections of any city. Finding people willing to participate in a clinical trial would be no problem either. The Gathosians used addiction as their primary control mechanism. Every person on Earth, from the lowliest worker to the heads of the Protectorate, craved regular doses of the compound.
Which meant freeing the population from this addiction was counterproductive to the Gathosians. They would kill Evard without hesitation if they realized he'd succeeded in mapping the elemental makeup of their compound and systematically constructing a combination of chemicals that would nullify the compound's effects.
Have you missed me? He caught a shimmer out of the corner of his eye as the thought spread through his mind. I'm sorry I've been so neglectful lately. It hasn't been by choice.
After weeks of spiteful attempts to motivate him to submit to her twisted desires, Inwatta had been suspiciously absent for the past few days. Evard suspected her superiors had taken her to task for her erratic behavior and neglecting her duties, but he couldn't be sure. All he knew was her absence had allowed him the time he needed to finalize his formula.
"I've had plenty of work to keep me busy." Pouring energy into his mental shields, he blocked her intrusion as much as possible. An energy tether anchored her to his mind, so it was never possible to shut her out completely. However, forcing her will upon him risked unwanted damage, so she preferred indirect motivations when settling their differences.
He walked to the wall nearest the sparkling cloud that indicated her presence and activated the display. He'd prepared this file months ago, hoping the day would come when he would need it. "You asked me to refine the compound, to strengthen each dose by twenty-five percent so the drug can be administered less often." Information scrolled down the wall, complete with diagrams and projections. "If these simulations are correct, I've increased potency by thirty-seven percent. This will lower your cost as well as decrease the amount of compound needed to sustain the current population."
Has the new compound been tested?
A thrill shot up his spine, and he fought back a smile. She had neatly stepped into his carefully laid trap. "Shall I try it on the guards?" He tried not to sound too sarcastic. "They're the only humanoids with whom I have any interaction. Unless you expect me to try it on myself, of course."
Her illumination spun and darkened, taking on the basic shape of a person. He didn't know if the Gathosians had corporeal bodies in their home dimension. Their interest in tangible resources indicated they did. Yet her obsession with physical pleasures seemed to be caused by never having experienced them before. Either way, it was only their energy and consciousness that traveled between dimensions and wreaked havoc on other worlds.
"You need something from me, and I want something from you." Her voice was audible now, the tone decidedly female. More and more these days, Inwatta chose female characteristics. He wasn't sure if she related more easily with the gender or if she thought it pleased him. "Can we finally come to an understanding?"
He touched the wall, deactivating the display. "Increased potency benefits you. I couldn't care less if it works or not."
She spun around the room like a petulant tornado, knocking over chairs and toppling a utensil tray. He watched the display with dispassionate indifference. They were locked in a stalemate, and she knew it.
Hovering in front of him again, she shoved him back with the force of her bluster. "You are the most irrational creature I have ever encountered! Why will you not allow me this one pleasure?"
"This one pleasure" was fucking some unsuspecting female while Inwatta inhabited her body. No, it was even more disgusting than that. Inwatta wanted him to willingly have sex with her while in the host body, to pleasure her in any way she requested, knowing all the while that she was his enemy.
"You can inhabit my body at any time and force me to do whatever you choose. I can't stop you, and we both know it. But I will end my life before I willingly give you pleasure." He spoke the vow without rancor or passion. It was a simple statement of fact.
After a long, tense pause, Inwatta asked, "Will you let me watch?"
He closed his eyes with a heavy sigh. "Why won't you let this go? You've forced me to perform every sexual act you could think of since I've been your anchor. You must know what sex feels like by now."
"That's just it. I've either compelled or coerced you every step of the way."
Unsure where this unexpected turn was leading, Evard opened his eyes. "Then what do you want from me this time?"
"I will arrange for as many test subjects as you want if you make love to a female of your own free will. Abandon yourself completely to the pleasure. Hold nothing back."
His pulse raced, and his mind buzzed with possibilities. He couldn't allow her to see how important these test subjects were, or how tempted he was by her suggestion. Not since before his captivity had he immersed himself completely in carnal pleasures, allowing himself to be utterly swept away.
He shrugged then crossed his arms over his chest, retreating into his role. "I said it before, testing the refined compound benefits you, not me. What do I get out of this arrangement?"
"What do you want? You can't imagine how well I'll indulge you if you'll just stop fighting me. Most anchors are spoiled rotten. They live in comfort and luxury. You won't allow me to pamper you."
Most anchors were traitors who willingly sold their souls to the enemy! Asking for his freedom was a waste of breath, but he had to think of something. Something she would be reluctant to grant, yet within the realm of possibility. "I want three full days and nights alone with the female first, and I mean completely alone. If I sense you for even a moment, all bets are off."
Inwatta glowed brighter, her excitement rippling into Evard's mind. "Two days alone, and on the third night you allow me to flow freely between you and your lover."
"You said you wanted to watch. That means outside, looking in!"
"We're negotiating. If you want to be alone with her, you have to offer me more."
He shuddered, revolted by the compromise. Always before Inwatta had been in control, using his body like a puppet for her own enjoyment. Cooperating with her on any level made it all so much more degrading. But there was so much more at stake than his pride, or his pleasure. If the antidote was ineffective, or even toxic, he had to know before it was distributed among the masses.
Unable to bear the humiliation of what he was about to do, he looked away from Inwatta. "No compulsions, and you keep your presence light enough that the woman is unaware."
"Agreed."
Hating himself a little more with each passing moment, he asked, "Where will you find the female?"
"That's entirely up to you. Would you prefer a refinery rat or a pleasure ambassador?"
What an abysmal choice. The Gathosian invasion had left human females with very few alternatives. "I want her willing, but the thought of fucking a woman who has been passed around from man to man is... distasteful to me."
Inwatta scoffed. "Then you're on the wrong planet. Monogamist relationships aren't just impractical, they're basically impossible under the current circumstances."
"You're the ultimate authority in this sector. I will not fuck a terrified virgin, but I don't want a practiced whore. You've been in my mind often enough to know what appeals to me. Find me such a woman, or our deal is off."
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