Bandar-License to Pleasure
Smack!
Lara Conway's cheek stung from the force of the slap. Her ears rang. Tears came to her eyes but she refused to be cowed. “You will die for that,” she spat in fury.
The Xerexian, a short, stocky creature with razor sharp teeth, dark skin and wide nose, parted his thick lips in a mocking grin. “Such false courage, human ,” he spat out contemptuously. He slapped her again, just as hard, on the other side of her face.
Oh God . There was the faint taste of blood in her mouth. Bloody hell. She tried, really tried, to curb her tongue, but ever since the damned Xerexians kidnapped her, her life had become a living nightmare.
“Such stupidity,” the Ugly Creature, as she'd dubbed the Xerexian who'd abducted her, sneered. Gritting her teeth, Lara bowed her head, hoping if she didn't look at him, she wouldn't be tempted to fight back, even with just words. “You humans never know when to shut your mouths.”
She bit her lip. Don't give the bastard any more ammunition to hit you.
“Nothing to say?” he asked in a hateful, mocking voice. “After three days, you've finally learned to shut up, arita ?”
Lara flinched at the word. Whore .
Ugly Creature laughed. “Why are you so brave, I wonder? Are you expecting a rescue from that bastard, Prince Kendrick?” He snorted. “The fact that you were so poorly guarded shows how little regard he has for you. It was so easy for us to take you.”
She kept her face lowered, bitter regret filling her. Why had she refused her father's offer of extra security? With the escalating hostilities between Earth Federation and the Xerexians, tensions were at an all time high. Her father, Joseph Conway, was the Federation Premier, and as his daughter, Lara was an invaluable bargaining tool. She'd been a fool to think her own meager private security was sufficient to protect her.
“I hate to disillusion you,” Ugly Creature continued, “but they won't find you. Not here in Utuja.” He laughed, an ugly grating sound. “We will bring the Federation to its knees before we return you.”
Was she supposed to sit here and take all his crap? Hell, no. “I'd rather die than let you use me as a pawn in this war.”
“Oh? And how are you going to do that?” he asked mockingly. “I don't intend to kill you. I will keep you alive, just enough, to use to win this war.”
Lara scoffed at that. “You overestimate my importance.” God, she hoped it was true. Surely her father would never compromise the safety of millions of people for her? She fully expected her sister Tamara, ex-Special Services agent extraordinaire, soon to be queen of Bandar, and just a general, all-round bad-ass, to come get her. With or without the assistance of her fiancé, Kendrick. Come on, Tam. Don't let me down now.
Ugly Creature's lips twisted in an imitation of a smile. “Believe what you like. Your security was pathetic. It was easy enough to get to you while you flitted about the entire galaxy, parading around showing your silly little vid-entertainment.”
Now that really pissed her off. Who the hell did he think he was calling her profession silly? So what if she was an actress? She was a successful one, thank you very much, and a damn good one. Her body of work was nothing to be sneezed at. “I guess that's something you warmongering Xerexians will never understand,” she snapped in disdain.
“Humans are weak, occupying their time with such trivial matters,” he mocked. “Or seeking peace where there is none to be had. It's all a waste of time. Just like it's a waste of time to hope that you'll be rescued.”
“Don't be so sure,” she countered with far more confidence than she really felt. “My people will come to get me. I'm sure of it.”
“Puppies, all of them! We watched them follow you around, waiting on you, fetching you whatever you wanted,” he sneered. “Things have changed, arita. Here you are nothing but a lowly prisoner.”
That remark stung more than the physical blows she'd dealt with. Lara lifted her chin, refusing to be cowed. “When they come for me, they will destroy this place and kill every one of you!”
“Enough!” The Xerexian grabbed her hair and yanked her backward brutally.
She cried out in pain.
“Ah, not so brave now, are you?” Grabbing the front of her blouse, he tore it from her. The sound of the delicate material ripping echoed in the small, dank room where she was kept. He tossed the tattered silk somewhere over his shoulder.
When he produced a curved, jagged-edged knife, Lara froze in fear. The Xerexian's gaze gleamed with predatory purpose as he knelt in front of her and slowly tore her skirt in half. With her hands tied above her head and her ankles strapped to the legs of the chair, Lara was helpless to stop him. Her heart thudded in terror. But she was not going to cry. She'd be damned if she showed this Xerexian any more signs that she was terrified, even if she was now clad only in a lacy bra and matching panties. She glared at him.
He merely threw back his head and laughed. “You amuse me, human. Your defiance will lead you nowhere.”
“Like I said, you will die for this,” she repeated coldly.
“Perhaps I'll teach you a different lesson,” he mused, getting on his knees so he was level with her. “The human body is a very fragile thing. Don't you agree?”
Lara's heart almost stopped at the casual way he said it.
“There are myriad of ways to cause pain. For example, I could hurt you right here.” He ran the sharp tip of the knife around the lace-covered nipple.
She sucked in a breath.
“Nothing to say?” With one flick of his wrist, he cut her bra open. It hung limply around her. “Detestable human flesh,” he derided contemptuously, his eyes zeroing in on her exposed breasts. His long, reptilian tongue snaked out and licked his thick lips. “Maybe a lesson in subordination is in order.” He grabbed her breast, his grip painful and brutal. “Just to curb that poisonous tongue of yours.”
Sheer terror robbed her of speech. The fear that she'd tried so hard to suppress roared to the surface. Here was the moment any woman dreaded to experience. She was about to be raped.
A soldier suddenly came into the room. “Commander, we need you in the control room.” His gaze flicked to Lara, touching briefly on her exposed body. “We received a communiqué.”
“You're lucky, arita, ” Ugly Creature sneered. “You've been given a reprieve. Only a temporary one, I assure you. I will come back to finish our little game.”
As soon as the door closed, Lara began to cry. In her arrogance, it had never once occurred to her that she would be targeted. She'd been so sure that the Xerexians wouldn't dare touch her, she was too high profile. Stupid and naïve, that's what I am. In the end, her coterie of assistants and one personal bodyguard had been helpless to protect her.
Lara bit her lip, choking on a sob. Please, please come for me. Don't leave me here. Tamara, Father, send somebody to rescue me before it's too late.
© 2006 Beverly Havlir
