What was wrong with him?
“Maybe I’m crazy,” Karn muttered to himself.
At the muted sound of his voice, he saw Lilli’s eyes dart up to the rear-viewer. She was sitting with her mother in the seat ahead of his, while he was sitting in the bodyslave compartment at the back.
Their gazes locked for a moment and he saw mute misery in her big brown eyes before she dropped them again and looked away.
That one look said it all—and it melted his heart.
She’s just a kid, Karn thought to himself. She might be of age but she’s been raised in such a restrictive environment that she can’t help but be naïve. She’s caught between her strict upbringing, the hedonistic Yonnite lifestyle she’s expected to embrace now, and me.
He felt like a jerk. No wonder Lilli was confused. He saw now that she hadn’t meant to hurt him. They had been moving awfully fast, considering how long they’d known each other—not to mention their proscribed relationship as Mistress and bodyslave. It wasn’t surprising that she’d backed off and he shouldn’t blame her for her reticence.
Poor kid, he thought, feeling a surge of compassion for her. She’s doing her best but she’s not really cut out for this life at all. She doesn’t like glitzy parties or catty Mistress politics and she’s not an exhibitionist.
He wished suddenly that he could take her home with him to the Mother Ship where she could live a normal life. A life where she didn’t have to wear revealing gowns that showed her body so explicitly or navigate the snake pit that was Yonnite High Society.
That was impossible, of course. Lilli wasn’t part of his mission and when it was over, he would have to leave her behind. But at least he could put her mind at ease and end the conflict between the two of them.
The next time he caught her eyes in the mirror, Karn gave her a wink. Lilli’s eyes widened as though she wasn’t sure what to think. He wanted to let her know everything was all right but it wasn’t like he could say anything aloud. So instead, he just held her gaze steadily until she dropped her eyes and looked at her hands, an expression of confusion on her face.
Damn. Karn sighed. Well, he would make her understand once they got to the awards ceremony. Everything would be all right and he would try to remember her youth and inexperience from now on and rein in his own emotions for her.
After all, he was here to complete a mission—not fall in love.
Twenty-Five
Lilli wasn’t sure what the wink meant. Had Karn forgiven her? Were they friends again? Had they been friends in the first place? Ought one to make friends with one’s bodyslave?
Lilli was pretty sure you weren’t supposed to do that and yet somehow she had made friends with Karn. Or maybe it was more than that. After all, she’d had plenty of friends at the convent, but she had never wanted to touch and kiss any of them the way she longed to touch and kiss the big Kindred. And she’d certainly never longed to press her body to theirs and feel their strong arms wrapped around her…
No! Stop it, Lilli!
She tried to push the naughty thoughts away because they made the tingling in her nipples and pussy so much worse. But she couldn’t seem to help herself. Every time she managed to put the big Kindred out of her mind, their eyes would meet in the rear-viewer again and all she could think of was how good his big, warm hands felt on her body…
By the time they finally reached the Zangelo Building, where the Civic Awards Ceremony was being held, Lilli was in complete turmoil. Her body was throbbing—begging for attention. She felt like if she didn’t have the big Kindred’s hands and mouth on her soon, she was going to explode!
“Ah—here we are at last!” her mother exclaimed as the craft, driven by one of her most trusted bodyslaves, pulled up to the entrance, fifty stories above the ground. “Lilliana, be certain your dress is straight,” she told her. “And you, Terx,” she added to the bodyslave who was driving. “Put the ship in autopark so you can escort me in. I can’t be announced without a bodyslave to kiss my panties.”
“Yes, Mistress,” the bodyslave said tonelessly. He did something to the controls and the craft paused long enough for all of them to climb out onto the walkway that led into the building, before flying away again.
The walkway was long and narrow and made out of clear plastiglass—extremely strong but nearly invisible. When Lilli stepped out onto it, it looked like she was stepping onto thin air. Fifty stories below she could see the Yonnite ground traffic whizzing by in blurs of light. They looked like tiny insects buzzing down there and the people weren’t even visible except as moving dots in the gathering gloom.