It would probably only amount to a massage, anyway, he told himself. Once they proved themselves to Xempi Gozeriam, there would probably be some kind of orientation period before they were expected to begin making pornographic vids. Hopefully, during that time, they could find and destroy the plants, steal the holo-projector with the snuff film on it, and find a way to lure The Beast out of the palace, so they could place him under arrest and get him back to the ship.
It seemed like a tall order to accomplish in a short period of time when he listed all the tasks together like that, but Stone assured himself they could do it. He and Cassandra were a team—a damn good one. They had accomplished difficult things before and they were up to this task—he was certain of it.
As for taking the submissive role in their new disguise, that didn’t bother Stone a bit. He knew who he was and it didn’t make him feel less of a male to pretend that Cassandra was his Mistress. In fact, he rather liked the idea of serving her and staying always by her side to protect her.
The only hole in their last plan, as far as Stone was concerned, was that the two of them would have been separated—him in the botany lab and her in the elite guard. This way, with him playing her loyal body-slave, they could remain together every step of the way, which made Stone feel much better about the odds of getting his partner through this mission in one piece.
This is a good thing, he told himself firmly. This way I can stay by Cassandra’s side and keep her safe, no matter what occurs.
He pushed his guilt to the back of his mind and concentrated on that—on protecting his partner, the woman he loved. No matter what else happened between them because of their new cover, it was worth it as long as Cassandra came out of this alive.
Twenty-Four
The palace up close was even more intimidating than it had looked when they were flying over it. Still, Cassie held her head high, as Stone had instructed her to do, and walked purposefully along the wide, white marble walkway that led up to the vast, two-story-tall double doors. Her boot heels clicked on the marble and she was grateful that the guard outfit Kat had designed for her was apparently fitting for a Yonnite Mistress, with just a little alteration.
Behind her, wearing a leash attached to a black leather collar around his throat, walked Stone. He kept a respectful distance and his eyes were lowered in apparent submission—a sight Cassie would have bet money she would never, ever see in her tall, dominant partner.
Stone had always had such a fierce, unforgiving glare that the idea of him dropping his eyes and acting submissive seemed strange. Still, it was a necessary part of their deception. She just hoped she and her partner could pull it off.
As they followed Pocker, who was trotting ahead of them and shouting,
“Make way for Mistress Cassandra of Yonnie Six!”
Cassie tried to keep all of Stone’s advice about how to act like a Yonnite Mistress in mind.
“The most important thing is to project confidence,” he had told her. “Be fierce, Cassandra. Remember how incredibly beautiful you are.”
“Stone, come on,” she’d protested, feeling her cheeks get hot. “That’s laying it on a bit thick, don’t you think?”
“Absolutely not.” Lifting her chin, Stone had looked her directly in the eyes. “Cassandra Steel, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” he growled softly. “And you must own your beauty completely if we are going to pull this off.”
His piercing gaze and the way he was talking to her made Cassie blush harder and drop her eyes.
“Stone…” she protested breathlessly. “Come on…”
“No, no, no.” Her partner frowned at her. “Accept the compliment as your due! Remember you are a queen—a goddess. If the whole world bowed down to worship at your feet, you wouldn’t be a bit surprised. In fact, you expect such deference and worship.”
“Wow, these Yonnite Six ladies must be really high-maintenance,” Cassie murmured. Lifting her chin, she’d tried to assume an expression of haughty boredom. “Drop to the floor and kiss my feet, body-slave,” she demanded, trying to exude an aura of confidence.
To her surprise, Stone had done exactly that. Dropping to his knees, he bent low to place a kiss on the toe of her black leather boot. Then he looked up at her.
“Have you any other orders, my Mistress?” he murmured, his voice soft and low.
“I…” Cassie had almost broken character, but she’d made an effort not to. “Not right now, body-slave,” she said. “Just wait quietly. I’ll let you know when I need you.”
“Yes, Mistress,” Stone rumbled, bowing his head.
After a moment he’d looked up.