“Oh…only one year?” I asked uncertainly.
He nodded, a short, jerky movement of his head.
“Yes, unless a child is conceived. Then the union may be extended indefinitely, though it usually is not. There is nothing in it like the permanence of the Master/pet relationship.”
“Um…I see.” I looked at him uncertainly. “So you don’t want to try to, uh—”
“I gave my word as a Korrigon Overlord not to breed you, remember?” he said harshly, guessing my thought before I could get the words out. His voice dropped to a gentler tone and he looked at me with sadness in his full-black eyes. “And anyway, you’ve been wanting to go back to Earth from themernI bought you from the Commercians. Now you’ll get your wish.”
“But…but, Sir—” I began.
“Please go sit down and get ready for take off, Elli,” he said and my name had never sounded colder or more unwelcome to my ears. “We’re going to be folding space and it’s best for you to be seated when we do.”
Not knowing what else to do or say, I went back to the big, bronze couch where Sir and I had snuggled so many times. I climbed up and curled in on myself, feeling stunned and hurt.
It seemed clear to me that Sir and I were over. Now that he couldn’t have me as his pet, he didn’t want me and that hurt…hurt more than I could possibly say.
What about being together forever? What about never leaving his side?I thought to myself, bitterness creeping into my heart.I guess he only wanted me for the kinky stuff. And now that the kinky stuff is essentially against the law, he doesn’t want me anymore.
I felt slow tears slipping down my cheeks at the thought of Sir not wanting me. I had never been loved by any man the way he had loved me—had never been cared for and bathed and cuddled and trained the way he had done all those things for me.
My fiancé, Don, wouldn’t have bothered with anything as kinky and elaborate as the relationship I’d had with Sir. And besides that, his touch hadn’t made me tingle like Sir’s did. In fact, now I wondered if anyone’s ever would.
I was pretty sure that being a La-ti-zal was somehow connected with my lack of a sex drive back on Earth. Hadn’t several people told me that a La-ti-zal’s powers didn’t develop until she left Earth’s atmosphere? Well, it seemed logical to me that the same might apply to a La-ti-zal’s sex drive. So did that mean that once I got back to Earth, I was never going to have an orgasm again?
That seemed not only possible but probable, I thought glumly. Not that Iwantedto have any orgasms without Sir. It might not be very progressive of me, but I kind oflikedit when he controlled how often I came. It made me hot when he teased me and teased me but wouldn’t let me come and then suddenly gave in and gave me multiple orgasms. I had never experienced pleasure like Sir gave me before.
But there would be no more teasing or hot sex or orgasms oranyof it because I was going back to Earth where, instead of a kinky Sex Pet with astonishing mental abilities, I was just a plain old librarian slash dog-wrangler with no sex drive to speak of.
And there was going to be no more Sir—that was what hurt the most. The idea that he would be gone—that he could just leave me and forget me so easily—stabbed me through the heart like a cruel blade. How could he do this to me? How could he—?
My thoughts were interrupted by Sir’s deep voice speaking from the cockpit of the ship.
“Requesting permission to dock with your ship, Charnoth,” he was saying. “I have a female I must return to Earth.”
FIFTY-THREE
SIR
“You realize, of course, that while we can return the female you bought to Earth, we cannot, under any circumstances, give you a refund or exchange your purchase for another, correct?”
Charnoth, the leader of the Commercians, peered up at me anxiously, his beady eyes wavering at the ends of their long stalks.
“Yes, I know,” I said heavily. “In fact, I am prepared to pay you extra to keep an eye on little one, er, Elli, and make certain that no other male tries to buy her. She isnotfor sale.”
“Of course, of course!” Charnoth’s wormy face lit up with the mention of extra money. “We would be most happy to fulfill your requests, Overlord.”
“Good,” I said. “Then keep an eye on her and be certain no one else tries to buy her.”
“She will be removed from the AMI,” the Commercian promised. “Now as to the price…”
“I’ll pay whatever price you name, but I cannot stay long. I must get back to my home world,” I said harshly.
The truth was, I couldn’t bear to be there with little one, knowing I could never hold her again—knowing that our love was now against the law.
Of course, I could have signed a one-year contract with her, as I would have with a female of my own kind, but I didn’t want that. I didn’t want just a year—I wanted forever. And there was no possibility of that now that she was no longer my pet.
Bitterly I wished I hadn’t promised not to breed her. If I had gotten her pregnant with my child, we might have stayed together, even though we would no longer be allowed to act as Master and pet. But I had given her my word and I would not break it now, no matter how badly I was tempted to.