Deep, Hard, and Rough (2 page)

Chapter Two

Planet
of
Kat’aki

Luna wiped the sweat that beaded across her brow
with the back of her hand. Every part of her body ached, but she didn’t dare
stop what she was doing. She scrubbed the table harder, trying to get out all
of the
Caltika
monster blood. The fight that had just
happened hours before had been fatal, with random body parts scattered across
the bar, and the stench of death lingering in the air. The gelatinous green goo
had come from the beast when it challenged one of the Monte males to spend the
evening with a female. It was clear the
Caltika
had
no idea the powers the Monte species actually possessed. The large wooden
bucket beside her feet held what was left of said beast after she scraped him
from the table. It took every ounce of willpower for her to hold back her gag reflex
every time she glanced down at the chunky remnants.

“Really put some elbow grease into it.”

She gritted her teeth at the flirtatious comment
right behind her. Luna didn’t bother responding or lifting her gaze. Maximo
slapped her on the ass as he passed, but the only reaction she gave was to
tighten her hand around the blood soaked rag she held.
Just a few more months
and you’ll be out of this shithole.

Luna said the mantra over and over in her head, and scrubbed
harder. The small restaurant, Tao, was where she had worked for the last two
years. Kat’aki, or the planet of red dust as it was more commonly known, was
her home, at least for the time being.

Working in the gritty, rundown bar on a planet known
for prostitution, illegal activities, and filled with the worst of the worst
criminals was not how Luna saw spending her life. It didn’t matter though, not
when she was hoping to save enough to leave and travel to
Euk’toria
,
the planet of happiness.

This had been her life since birth. It didn’t matter
that she was born to a human prostitute and left in the street until a couple, who
had to be the only kind and decent people that lived on this forsaken planet,
had claimed her as their own. Of course, love and happiness can only last so long
in a place that rivals the very pits of the damned. The urge to leave had
always been strong within her, but some obstacle had always stood in her path,
forcing her to stay and face the abuse. When the very people that had taken her
in and cared for her were murdered, Luna decided it was time to leave or she
would be the next person this rotten planet claimed. If she was going to die,
so be it, but it wouldn’t be on this fucked up planet.

“Listen up everyone.” Luna forced herself to stop
cleaning and turn around. Maximo grinned suggestively at her, which succeeded
in making her skin crawl. “I have just been informed by my contacts that
tomorrow night will be busy. We are to have warriors from the Aktulla planet visiting
our fair establishment in hopes of entertainment and pleasure.” Maximo swept
his gaze around the room, but his stare always stopped back on Luna. “Not only
that, they are from the royal Asek line. Whatever they want, you will give to
them. You all know how wealthy and powerful the males of the Aktulla planet are,
the Asek line especially, and so it is all of your duty to show them an
experience they will not forget.”

Luna knew what Maximo was truly saying. He wanted
his employees to suck and fuck all patrons that entered his meager, disgusting place
of business. A pimp is what she called him, but he called himself a
“businessman”. He was wealthy though, despite the fact he looked, smelled, and
lived like he had just rolled out from under a disgusting
Montaka
beast. Luna’s mother may have been a prostitute, but she sure as hell would not
become one. It was becoming harder and harder to fend off the suggestive comments
and advances she encountered on a daily basis at Tao, but especially from
Maximo. His obsession for her was growing frighteningly more aggressive as of
late. Straightening her shoulders to appear strong even if she didn’t
particularly feel that way, she didn’t let Maximo’s stare intimidate her.

A scowl slowly crept across his face before he
regained his composure and ushered everyone to start working again. The hopeful
thought that he might leave her alone for the rest of her shift was just that …
hopeful. He moved closer to her, but she turned her back on him and resumed
cleaning the muck off the table. He grabbed her arm with bruising force, but as
she did on every occasion, she didn’t show him weakness. This argument was
going to be one of the worse ones, and she knew that with clarity. Pulling her
harshly toward the back of the building, she was shoved into his grimy office. The
door slammed shut with an audible force, and she tensed. Turning so she could see
him, she watched as his face started to turn a bright shade of red. The silence
between them was deafening. This was the calm before the storm.

After several long, drawn out moments, he seemed to rein
in his temper. “I know that look, Luna.” When she didn’t respond, the shade of
red that had covered his face just seconds before returned. “The only reason
you haven’t been raped or killed is because of
me
.” He slammed his meaty
fist against his chest as he spat the last word out. Maximo was right to an
extent. The fact that over the years he had grown alarmingly possessive of her,
only made her fear increase. The only way he would accept her sleeping with
someone else was if he made a profit from it. Although she loathed him, she
admitted that there had been several times he had saved her, so to speak. She
refused to thank him or show him any kind of gratitude. The protection he
offered her was because he thought to gain something from her. She was, after
all, to her knowledge, the only virgin left on the planet of red dust, and
therefore a prized possession by many. He kept an ever watchful eye on her, and
she knew that when she left Tao for home he had his goons guard his “property”.
So far she had been able to steer clear of his offers to “entertain” the many clients
that visited Tao, but Maximo wasn’t known for his patience, and therefore
starting to become more unstable.
If she could have worked
somewhere else, gone somewhere else, she would have done that in a heartbeat.
This vile planet was nothing but rock and red dust, with this shitty little
city right in the center of it. Every other business was the same, or even
worse than what she was already subjected to.

“I could throw you outside right now and you
wouldn’t last ten minutes without my protection. Who do you think makes it
possible for you to stay safe in that shithole you call home?” He slammed his
fist against his chest again. “Me. They would eat you alive, pretty thing.” He
chuckled humorlessly and took a step toward her.

Maximo’s strength may surpass hers, but Luna knew what
she lacked in brawn she made up for in brain. “I’m not a whore, Maximo. I have
told you time and time again that I will not degrade myself to be with these
males and beasts you throw at me. You do not own me. No one does. I am my own
person, and therefore make up my own decisions. I can take care of myself.” She
was scared, of course, but once that fear was shown than that was when her life
ended. Strength, whether it
be
physical or mental,
equaled power.

Sweat started to bead along his wide forehead, and
his laughter continued. He was a disgusting creature. His species, known as the
Blooka
, were similar to humans in appearance, but
they were known for their rage and nasty tempers, ones that rivaled the fierce
and wild creatures that roamed the red mountains that surrounded them. With his
thinning, greasy black hair, and beady dark eyes, he sickened her. “You think
you are better than the rest of us, princess? Hardly, you are the product of a
prostitute’s one-night stand. You are the offspring of a human whore, the
weakest species in three galaxies, and a male who paid to fuck her. You are no
better than any of us, and I promise you, Luna, before you die, you will give
me what I want.”

“I can leave at any time, Maximo.”

Grinning mockingly, he advanced. “You think that,
but how very wrong you are. You know as well as I that you have nowhere to go.
You live in that dirty little hole you call
home,
eating
the leftovers you take from the kitchen when you think no one looks. I see all,
princess. You can tell me how you will leave, but you and I both know you will
die on this planet just like the rest of us.”

He was so close that she could smell the thick
stench of liquor and dirty sweat that laced his body. Holding her ground, she refused
to back down. The truth may have come from his lips, but it didn’t mean she had
to acknowledge that to him. He might know she took food from the kitchen, and
in all rights he could have her hands cut off for the act, but Luna knew Maximo
wouldn’t, knew it would decrease her value.

“You’ve lasted long enough with your innocence
intact, but know this, when those warriors come, you will give them what they
want. Make no mistake about that, princess. You will make me a very wealthy man
sooner than later.” The way he dropped his gaze to her breasts and licked his
lips caused bile to rise in her throat. “And after that time comes, I will make
you
my
whore.” Snapping his attention back to her face, his expression
hardened. Although violence seethed right below the surface of his demeanor,
Maximo hadn’t hit her, but the look he gave her said the urge to do just that
rode him hard.

He turned away from her quickly and strode out of
his office. The breath left her in a rush, and her legs threatened to give out.
She refused to cry, refused to show any kind of emotion around these heathens. Fear
was strong in her, but she would not display weakness in front of anyone. She
prayed to whoever listened that the opportunity would arise and she would be
able to escape. Buying a ticket off of Kat’aki was so expensive only the wealthiest
could afford it. She had been lucky enough to find a place to sleep that cost
her next to nothing, but it was a hole in the wall, with animals nearly her
size that roamed right outside her door. None of that matter because it
provided a roof over her head, and walls on four sides.

Turning toward the cracked mirror that hung
haphazardly on the stained wall, she felt deflated at the reflection that
stared back at her. Her auburn hair was knotted at the nape of her neck, and a
few loose strands fell around her face. Dirt smudged her cheeks and made her
pale blue eyes seem to stand out, but her appearance right now didn’t matter
because Maximo would pay to have his employees cleaned properly before the
warriors came. He would make sure his
product
was perfect and buyable. The
thought made her grimace in disgust.

Taking out the tie that held her hair in a bun, she
sighed in relief when the long strands tumbled down her back. She finger combed
the layers as best she could and tied the heavy weight atop her head once more.
Her outfit was nothing more than tatters of material, but it didn’t matter on
Kat’aki, not when everyone on the wretched planet wore the same thing or
nothing at all. The apron tied around her waist was stained, and holes littered
the thin material. She was a
sight, that
was for sure.
She could hear Maximo barking out orders, and her anger rose. Hatred for this
planet and everyone on it was a tidal wave of fire inside of her. If it was the
last thing she did, Luna would escape.

****

Erak stepped off of the space carrier, Genet and
Raimi following closely behind. Kat’aki was not their final destination, but they
did need to refuel, and had been traveling for a week’s time now. Solid ground,
even if it was on this planet, was better than nothing.

“I’ll put the order in to have the craft refueled
while we grab something to eat and a few supplies form the merchants.” Raimi
stepped beside Erak. Erak glanced around the barren red dust planet and
grimaced. He did wish he could have stopped at another planet, but this had
been the closest one, and priority overruled preference. Although the landing
dock was situated in the desert, a thick line of half-dead shrubs was in front
of them, and towering mountains all around them. The lights from the rundown
town ahead shone dully. The bright orange sun blazed in the sky, and sweat
started to coat his skin. Covering his brow with his hand, he stared at the
main city of Kat’aki, a playground for common scum, whores, and anyone who
wanted a little illicit
activity,
and now currently
the Asek brothers. Back in the day they had come here for a little fun, but
that had been ages ago, when they were adolescent warriors. They hadn’t come
back since, and he remembered why now. The stench of desperation and need hung
thick in the air. He didn’t doubt their arrival had caused a flurry of action,
because they most definitely thought royals would spend a hefty amount of
currency.

“Let’s just get what we need and get out of here. I
still don’t like this place.” His brothers murmured in agreement, which he
thought somewhat surprising. They really were taking this “finding their mate”
seriously. It made him proud.

The landing dock was filled with spacecrafts. Beings
from all over the galaxy docked their ships and made their way into the main city.
Creatures from
Atheta
,
Linnea
,
and even the ape appearing giants of the
Primativa
planet all made their way toward the city. Erak knew Kat’aki was known as one
of the lowest and dirtiest planets in the
Ban’tash
galaxy, but it was also known as a party planet, a place where one could do
what they wanted when they wanted. Despite the appeal that knowledge held, the
planet itself was a wasteland.