Under His Command (3 page)

“Very fuckable,” Naiad agreed with a low laugh. “I wonder if she

realizes how hungry for her you are.”

“She’ll find out soon enough,” Kel said in a clipped voice and

went to start his reports.

Under His Command

17

Chapter 2

The skimpy gown was almost entirely sheer and concealed next to

nothing, the hem not even reaching mid-thigh, the neckline low

enough her nipples were barely covered. She’d seen it often enough

on the human females but hadn’t ever contemplated wearing one

herself. Peyton looked at her image in the mirror of the cubicle and

winced in embarrassment. The rules were clear. No undergarments,

loose hair, and the word “no” wasn’t supposed to be in her

vocabulary. Available at all times, in all ways.

Since it was Gallico, she had better be able to abide by the

strictures to the Nth degree. Whatever they wanted he and his first

officer were supposed to get, and if she could just get through the next

month it would be over and maybe she could return to a normal

existence and be back on the job. She had no illusions that the entire

ship wasn’t talking about her choice at the moment, but it was without

a doubt the most expedient and that was important to her.

There was one big problem. She wasn’t a virgin, but the very brief

love affair she’d had two years ago hadn’t exactly given her much of

an education in how to please a male. The whole thing had been a

huge mistake and she and her ex-lover had really only spent two—for

her unsatisfactory—nights together. The sex had been both brief and a

little uncomfortable and she wasn’t all that impressed with the

process.

Oh well, she could grit her teeth and endure it, and as busy as the

Commander and Naiad were, maybe it wouldn’t be all that often

anyway.

“Ready?”

18

Annabel Wolfe

She whirled around, not aware the door had opened. The two

soldiers that had taken her to level C stood there, both of them

looking at her.
Really
looking at her. Getting a damned eyeful too, she

thought, trying to tamper down the resentment. Neither had they

respectfully addressed her by her rank either. She blushed, which was

infuriating. “Yes.”

“Come with us.”

She did, one of them walking in front of her, one of them behind,

and she was just grateful that they didn’t encounter anyone she knew

personally before they reached the lift. Impassive, both males waited

as she got on, and then joined her, pressing in a code. Her own

quarters were on the officers’ level of the ship and she deliberately

didn’t look as they passed her door, going all the way to the very end.

One of them scanned the door open and gestured her inside. She

obeyed, stepping in, and the door swooshed shut behind her and she

was alone.

Her first thought was she wouldn’t mind being a commander

some day. The room was twice the size of her berth which she shared

with two other female officers. It had a private galley, a large sitting

area with a wall of screens and communication devices, and a

sleeping area with two large beds in comparison with the bunks they

were assigned, plus a cleansing room of impressive proportions.

Everything was immaculate and no personal possessions were

anywhere, but then again, she didn’t expect anything less from the

formidable Gallico. The only surprise was a book on one of the

lounging couches. She picked it up and looked at the spine, amazed to

see it was Voltaire. The commander read ancient earth literature? She

never would have guessed. Of course, because of her half-human

heritage, she had an acquaintance with some of the old classics, but

still it was a surprising facet to his personality. Quickly she set it

down, aware of its value. Almost no bound copies existed any longer.

He must have paid a fortune for it.

She sank into a seat, not sure what to do but just wait.

Under His Command

19

This had to go down as the most eventful day of her life, she

mused in weary contemplation. First the terrifying danger of the

rescue and her own fear she was taking her crew into a certain death,

and then the wrath of the handsome commander of the ship, which

she partially deserved.

Not to mention her impulsive request to be assigned to him, and

where that had stemmed from she wasn’t sure except Gallico was an

enigma—an intimidating enigma—and the idea of him touching her

was intriguing in some elemental way.

The commander aside, she was exhausted and even her trepidation

over what was going to inevitably happen next didn’t stop her lashes

from drifting downward.

* * * *

Kel had stayed deliberately on the bridge late, as if to prove some

point that he hadn’t sentenced the lieutenant so he could haul her

straight off to his quarters and make use of her pretty body. Naiad

made a few ribald comments which he ignored, feigning an

indifference to her presence which he didn’t at all feel.

When he stepped inside the privacy of his berth and actually saw

her there, the stark immediacy of her presence spiked through him. He

had a feeling as the door swished shut, even though he had schooled

himself control his expression at all times, the look on his face would

have fooled no one.

Desire spiked through his body, straight to his cock, making it

stiffen against the confining cloth of his fitted uniform pants.

Peyton Valmont was asleep, curled on her side on one of the two

built-in couches in the sitting area. The filmy gown she was required

to wear barely covered the essentials anyway, and in this position he

could see pretty much everything. The thin material was bunched up

around her thighs so he could not only see her luscious ass, but the

enticing smoothness of her shaved pussy as well. It was one hell of an

20

Annabel Wolfe

erotic view and he guessed she’d be pretty embarrassed to know he

just stood there and stared at her, his erection swelling to full mast in

about two long heartbeats.

With slow deliberation he forced himself to look away, took in a

deep breath and adjusted his unruly cock to try and make himself

more comfortable—which didn’t work—and went into the galley. He

allowed himself no more than one glass a day of the crisp golden wine

he favored because as the officer in charge of the entire ship, even

when someone else was actually on duty, he was ultimately

responsible for every decision and he needed a clear head at all times.

This seemed the right moment to have that allotted drink.

He poured it into a tall fluted glass and went back in the sleeping

quarters and took off his tunic. Kel sat down on the edge of the bed

and removed his boots so he was at least a little more at ease if he

could just ignore the throbbing between his legs, and went back out

into the sitting area. Normally now he would switch on the monitors

so he could observe different levels of the ship and then relax as he

sipped his drink, but this wasn’t an ordinary evening and the view was

too distracting for him to pay any attention to anything else.

As he’d fantasized, her body was just the way he liked a female to

be formed. Slender but with nice, full breasts, shapely hips, and long

slim legs. Only once had he seen her out of uniform and that was a

fluke, as she’d been coming back to her quarters after obviously

making use of the ship’s exercise facility. Usually he was on duty

before most of the officers rose, but they’d received the news about

the instability of Epsilon and he’d been in communications all night

with Ran Kartel, the Governor of Minoa. Minoa was the central planet

of S-species government and Kartel the most important resource when

it came to tough choices. The decision to send his ship to see if a

rescue was possible had been made, and Kel had been up without

sleep for over twenty-four hours before their course was changed and

the matter settled, so he’d gone back to quarters to try and catch a few

hours of rest. Being sleep-deprived could be more incapacitating than

Under His Command

21

intoxicating substances and it was regulation that the officers get

adequate rest.

It was that morning, seeing her in gray loose pants and a thin

sleeveless top, a sheen of sweat on her face and arms, her hair not the

usual neat regulation coil at her nape, but pulled carelessly back, that

he’d realized the depth of the attraction. Her clothing hadn’t even

been at all sexy or provocative but he’d gotten the barest hint of the

sway of her tits under the thin material of her shirt as she stopped

short at his unexpected presence in the hallway and come to attention.

When he had fallen asleep, fuck if he hadn’t had a wet dream,

something that hadn’t happened to him since he was coming into

adolescence. He’d woken spent and shaking and embarrassed as hell.

Tonight, and for the next twenty-nine nights, he wouldn’t have to

imagine her beneath him, or above him, in front of him—he liked

inventive positions—tonight he would get to play the fantasy and he

still really couldn’t believe it had all worked out this way.

He sprawled in his chair, just drinking in the sight of her as he

sipped his wine. All that rich mahogany hair spilled over her pale

bared shoulders, and one hand was tucked under her cheek, the fan of

her long, curly lashes against her perfect cheekbones.

How long did he have to wait, he wondered, before he woke her

and carried her into the sleeping area? If he was considerate, he’d let

her sleep. On the other hand, her only real duties under the statute

sentence was to be available if he wanted sexual gratification and that

certainly was the situation of his rock hard cock was any indication.

The dilemma was solved as his communication device gave a

small beep. He slipped it free from the band of his pants and saw it

was the chief medical officer. Peyton stirred at the sound of his voice

as he answered a question about one of the rescued soldiers who

apparently had smoke inhalation illness from the toxic fumes on the

self-destructive Epsilon. During the call, she sat up and desperately

tried to arrange her gown to a more modest state. The silk of her

tumbled hair fell down to the middle of her back and framed a face

22

Annabel Wolfe

pink with embarrassment. She cleared her throat as soon as he signed

off the call. “How long have you been here?”

“A little while,” he answered, taking what he hoped seemed to be

a casual sip from his glass.

“I…I fell asleep, I guess,” she stammered.

“That is an astute observation, Lieutenant,” he remarked, amused

at her discomfort.

She adjusted her position so she was perched primly on the edge

of the couch, her thighs pressed together tightly, her shoulders

squared. Hazel eyes stared at him, not precisely with defiance, but

there was a measure of challenge there. After all, she was an officer

and from what he knew of her record and her service under his

command, both hard-working and skilled. This current position of

subservience wasn’t going to be easy. He hoped she realized it.

Kel asked, ‘Would you like a glass of wine?”

One brunette brow arched upward. “I don’t know. You will have

to explain to me how this works, Commander. Do all the male

personnel offer wine to the females who are there for one purpose

only or are you just being polite to me because of my rank?”

“On Level C they were supposed to explain to you exactly how it

works, Lieutenant.” He regarded her over the rim of his glass.

They had apparently, for her blush deepened. “They explained in

great detail how
we
are supposed to act toward
you
. But there was

nothing about how you would act toward someone in my position.”

“Rest assured the females we harvest from Earth and bring on

board for sexual purposes are treated very well. They share quarters

with the males in the crew and more often than not, attachments form

beyond the physical part of it. Governor Kartel’s wife was a human

female serving on a ship taking him on a diplomatic mission. He

married her, so obviously neither was unhappy with the arrangement.”

It was true. Very few of the females chose to go back to Earth

once their service was over. Most selected Minoa or one of the other

Under His Command

23

colonies and many of them ended up with S-species husbands or were

bred to keep the gene pool from becoming too narrow.

“I know they are not ill-treated,” she murmured. “I suppose,

though, I am not used to being regarded as an object with no rights.”

“Care to change your mind, Lieutenant?” As Kel made the offer

he sure as hell hoped she wouldn’t accept it. His hungry body tensed

even as he spoke. “This isn’t supposed to be easy for a female officer,

remember? If it was, it wouldn’t be offered as a sentence for an

infraction.”

She hesitated and then shook her head. “No, I don’t want to