24. Phoebe

24

PHOEBE

P hoebe woke up with a pounding headache and a vague feeling that she had made a fool of herself the night before. What had she been saying? And what had she been doing?

As she cracked open her eyes, she saw that she was pressed up against Sirex. In fact, she was draped all over him with one leg thrown over his and both her arms around his muscular waist. She had her head on his chest and both of them were completely naked.

The realization made her come fully awake.

Oh my God, what in the world did we do last night?

"Good morning," The low, rumbling voice made her look up to see Sirex looking down at her. He had one arm around her shoulders and the other was behind his head. There was a thoughtful look on his face and Phoebe wondered how long he'd been watching her as she slept.

"Oh, uh, good morning." She made a move to sit up, trying to cover her breasts at the same time. But she had forgotten the non-con bracelets she wore. They gave her a nasty shock and she yelped and nearly fell off the bed.

"Careful!" Moving faster than she would have thought possible, Sirex threw an arm around her waist and swept her back onto the large, round mattress before she could fall. "Are you all right?" he asked, giving her a worried look.

"I'm fine." Phoebe gave a self-conscious laugh and tugged up the sheet to cover herself, being careful not to touch her breasts with her hands. "Just, uh, trying to figure out how we ended up in this position," she added, indicating the way the two of them were naked and in bed together. "Did we, uh, sleep together?" she asked uncertainly.

"If by ‘sleep' you mean did I hold you in my arms while we both rested, then yes," Sirex told her. "But if you mean did we have sexual relations well…the answer is both yes and no."

"What?" Phoebe squeaked. "Yes and no? What does that mean?"

He frowned.

"How much do you remember from last night?"

"Not much," Phoebe admitted. "Everything is kind of blurry after I drank that can of Sparkler." She frowned. "I seem to remember…oh my God, did I, uh, suck you off? I didn't, did I?"

"I'm afraid you did." Sirex sounded apologetic. "I didn't know that you were under the influence of a drug at the time—although I suppose I should have guessed it. You sucked both my shafts and swallowed my seed," he added.

"Wait a minute— both your shafts?" She had a vague memory of leaning over him and tasting both caramel and chocolate but the idea of his having two cocks felt strange.

Sirex cleared his throat.

"Yes, I have two because I'm half Scourge. The top shaft is smaller—it's mainly used for lubrication. The bottom shaft is larger and is used for breeding."

"Oh my God. So I sucked them both? "

He nodded.

"The top one first and then the bottom one, I'm afraid."

"But…does your cum taste like a candy bar? No, never mind—forget I said that," Phoebe said quickly before he could answer. "So then what happened?" How did we end up here? I mean, like this?" She motioned at the two of them again.

"You spilled some of the ‘Sparkler' drink on yourself so I had to give you a shower and wash you off—you couldn't do it yourself because of the non-con bracelets," Sirex told her. He frowned. "Do you really not remember any of this?"

"Only very vaguely," Phoebe admitted. She squinted, trying to recall the things he was telling her but the memories refused to come clear. It was like she was trying to watch a movie that was out of focus so everyone and everything in it was blurry.

"I see." Sirex nodded. "Do you want me to tell you more, or would you rather not know?"

Phoebe took a deep breath.

"You'd better tell me. It's better to know what I did than sit around guessing and wondering all day."

"Very well. After I bathed you, I removed the clit jewelry and the plug," Sirex went on. "You told me you had a burning pain and begged me to help you."

"I did?" Phoebe shifted. She still had some discomfort between her thighs, but she assumed that it was from wearing the thick pussy plug so long the night before.

He nodded.

"So I did—using my essence."

"Your essence?" She frowned.

"It's a pale blue liquid produced by my fangs that's capable of healing." He opened his mouth and pointed at his fangs to illustrate.

"So…did you bite me?" Phoebe looked down at herself—she didn't see any bite marks…

"Er, no." Sirex cleared his throat. "I licked you," he said at last.

"You mean you…you went down on me?" Phoebe felt like she was blushing all over. "And I let you?" She'd always been resistant to this particular act, since the guy she'd dated long-term in college had disliked it. He had always complained that she was "too wet" which made her incredibly self-conscious.

But Sirex was nodding.

"You didn't just let me—you begged me," he told her. "I have to apologize for that—I knew you were drugged at that point but you were in pain. I couldn't think of any other way to heal you."

"I…you…what else did I say?" Phoebe could barely get the words out.

"You asked me to make you come," he rumbled, his eyes going half-lidded. "And so I did—it seemed to help you feel better."

"Oh my God…" Phoebe shook her head numbly. She had really gone way outside her boundaries the night before! "Did…did I ask you to do anything else?" she asked in a low voice.

"Only to hold you," he murmured. "Which I also did, all night."

"It was, uh, nice of you to put up with me when I was in that state," Phoebe said.

She wasn't sure what else to say. She didn't think she could really complain about him going down on her when she had also apparently done the same thing to him. And anyway, if he was healing her and she was begging him to do it…God, what must he think of her now?

"I just can't believe I acted like that—I'm so sorry!" she burst out. "I want you to know that if I hadn't been, uh, under the influence I never would have acted like that. Or said all the embarrassing things I probably said," she added, feeling hot with shame as she imagined herself "begging" him to make her come.

"No, of course you wouldn't." Sirex's expression was suddenly closed. "And I must apologize again for touching you sexually without your consent."

"It's all right—it sounds like I, uh, touched you too." Phoebe's cheeks were hot with shame. "Look, can we just move past this and try to plan how we're going to get in to see the Emperor?"

"Certainly." He cleared his throat. "Maybe we should get dressed first, though."

"Oh, sure. I guess so." Phoebe bit her lower lip. "Um, do you think I could get away without wearing the clit jewelry and the plug? I mean, Kat packed me some other Salacious Prime outfits to wear. I'm sure I could find one that had enough coverage to keep anyone from noticing."

His face went hard.

"Are you asking because you'd rather I didn't put the jewelry on you? Because I touched you last night without your consent?"

"No, no—it's not that!" Phoebe protested. "I mean, yes it's really embarrassing to have to ask you to help me with things like that because I can't touch myself with these damn non-con bracelets on but I just don't…" She trailed off, realizing she was babbling.

"It's all right—I understand," Sirex said stiffly. "I'm sure it will be fine if you just wear the harness without the jewelry and plug as long as you have a skirt that covers you. It's time we got back to a more professional relationship anyway. I feel like we went outside the boundaries of two Agents working in the field yesterday. It's time we reined things in."

Phoebe felt her heart drop…but she couldn't exactly blame him. They really had gone too far the day before—even before she drank the Sparkler and apparently turned into a sex-starved nymphomaniac. And though she wished they could go even further—that they might have some kind of relationship that wasn't strictly professional—she could see that the things they'd done together had made her mentor uncomfortable.

"Yes, of course," she said, trying not to let the disappointment she felt show in her face. "You're right. We need to get back on track."

"Exactly." Sirex nodded. "It's time to start planning how we're going to get in to see the Emperor. Especially now that I'm certain The Finger of the Goddess is really here, in his collection."

"You are? How do you know?" Phoebe asked.

She was beyond relieved that they were changing the subject. She didn't known when she'd been so embarrassed. There had been a few times, after a night of hard drinking in college when she'd acted kind of crazy but she had never gotten so completely black-out drunk that she'd forgotten everything she did. And apparently everything she had done last night had been sexual.

"Thruck practically told me it was here." Sirex also looked relieved to be changing the subject. "He said they have an object called "the Lust Finger" that they use when they brew the Sparkler drink they give to the women every night. Apparently it increases the potency of the other ingredients and also increases fertility."

"That sounds like The Goddess's Finger all right," Phoebe said, nodding. "The question is, how do we get to it?"

"I don't know," Sirex admitted heavily. "Thruck hinted that he was leaning towards granting us an audience with the Emperor, but only if we continued to be ‘entertaining.'"

"Entertaining? What the hell did he mean by that?" Phoebe demanded.

"Well, he said it after your, er, enthusiastic performance last night." Sirex cleared his throat. "When you were so eager for my seed."

"Oh my God!" Phoebe groaned, putting her head in her hands. "I can't believe I acted like that!"

"Don't blame yourself—you were drugged," Sirex said. "I'm just sorry I didn't realize it sooner."

"It's not your fault either," Phoebe said quickly. "Honestly, if you could just try to forget everything I said and did last night, I'd be grateful."

"It's already forgotten. I won't bring it up again," Sirex promised.

"Thank you." Phoebe smiled gratefully. "So…we have to find a way in to see the Emperor without Thruck."

"Which isn't going to be easy, considering he appears to control the only access to ‘The Shining One,'" Sirex said dryly.

"Except for the servants," Phoebe pointed out. " They still have access—at least that's what Be'ti'ta told me last night, before we started drinking that damn Sparkler."

Sirex looked thoughtful.

"I wonder if one of them might be bribed?"

"You'd have to be careful which one you asked," Phoebe pointed out. "If you asked the wrong one and he reported back to Thruck…"

"Yes, that wouldn't end well at all," Sirex agreed. "However…"

A sudden knock on their door interrupted him.

"Excuse me, I have an urgent invitation for Lord Sirex and his lady!" a familiar voice called outside.

"That's the servant now. Let's see what he wants." Sirex rose and pulled on a pair of leather trousers.

Though she tried not to look, Phoebe couldn't help noticing that he did, indeed, have two cocks—a smaller one which rested above the much larger one. God, had she really sucked them both? The larger one especially looked too big to handle—even though it wasn't even hard at the moment.

I must have been feeling ambitious last night, she thought and wished again that she'd never drunk the damn Sparkler.

As her mentor headed for the door, she decided to come along. Wrapping the sheet all the way around herself, she trailed after Sirex, coming to stand behind him as he opened the door.

The servant at the door was the same one who had brought them their clothes and led them to the banquet the night before. He must be assigned to them, Phoebe thought.

"Yes? What do you want?" Sirex asked, frowning down at him.

"Hello, Lord Sirex." The servant boy made a nervous bow and cleared his throat. "I come with an invitation. Lord Thruck has invited all the males in the palace to join him on a Grox hunt today. He would be most gratified if you would meet him at the gallumpher stables around the west side of the palace. A fresh air breakfast will be served before the hunt commences and a jolly time will be had by all."

He sounded like he was reciting something he had memorized, Phoebe thought. And then he just stood there, waiting for the answer.

Sirex frowned.

"What if I don't wish to accept the invitation? I have never ridden a gallumpher before. In fact, I don't even know what one looks like."

"Oh, they're extremely gentle!" the servant boy assured him. "And I don't think it would be wise to refuse the invitation. Lord Thruck gets offended when his guests don't agree to his plans," he added in a half-whisper.

"I didn't come to the palace to be a guest of Lord Thruck," Sirex growled, scowling down at the servant. "I came to meet with the Emperor. How long will it be before I can see him? My time is valuable!"

The servant went pale and shrank away from the angry warrior.

"F-forgive me, my Lord, but I don't know," he stammered. "Lord Thruck is very particular about who he allows to meet with the Shining One."

"But you have access to him—don't you?" Phoebe asked, stepping out from behind Sirex. "I mean, the servants of the palace still get to see the Emperor because you wait on him, right?"

"Well…" the servant boy began.

"What if you helped us get access to him, just for a minute?" Phoebe went on, not giving him time to refuse. "We could be very discreet—no one would ever have to know. And I'm sure my Master would make it worth your while." She looked up at Sirex for confirmation and he nodded.

"Indeed I would."

"But you don't understand—only Hil'de'guard has access to The Shining One!" the servant boy blurted. "She's the Emperor's personal servant and nurse. And she reports only to Lord Thruck."

"I see." Sirex nodded. "Very well then. Please forget we asked." He dug a five-credit golden coin out of the pocket of his tight leather trousers and handed it to the servant.

"My lips are sealed, my Lord." The servant bowed again. "Er…can I tell Lord Thruck to expect you at the gallumpher stables for breakfast and the hunt?"

"You can tell him I'll be there. But first I have to help my female get dressed," Sirex told him. "Will she be coming with me on the hunt?" he asked.

The servant boy's eyes went wide.

"A female on a hunt? Goodness, no, my Lord! That would bring terrible luck!"

"Then what is she supposed to do while I go on the hunt? And what is she supposed to eat?" Sirex demanded. "I wasn't allowed to feed her at the banquet last night."

"Er…I can bring a tray to your room for her," the servant offered, swallowing nervously. "That way she can eat at leisure while you hunt."

"All right—excellent." Sirex nodded. "See that you bring her only the best. I don't want her losing her curves."

"Yes, my Lord!" The servant bowed deeply. "I'll go and get a tray from the Royal kitchen for her now. Can you find your way to the hunt yourself or should I come back to lead you there?"

"I believe I can manage. On the west side of the palace, you said?" Sirex asked.

The servant boy nodded.

"Yes—by the gallumpher stables. You'll know it by their cries—they get most excited before a hunt."

"All right. I'll be there as soon as I finish getting dressed."

Sirex closed the door before the servant could say anything else and turned to Phoebe.

"Well, I guess I'm going on a hunt," he said and raked a hand through his hair.

"Be careful," Phoebe urged him. "I remember something else Be'ti'ta told me before the Sparkler kicked in. She said someone fell off their gallumpher and died on the last hunt!"

"Maybe they're not quite as docile as the servant would lead us to believe then," Sirex growled. "Don't worry—I've ridden one of the fire drakes of Kazax Centauri before—I'm sure the gallumphers can't be worse than those."

Phoebe wasn't sure about that.

"All right—just remember if something happens to you, I'll be stuck here," she reminded him. "As a woman alone, I'd have a pretty hard time getting away from the palace and back to the spaceport."

"Look at me…" Leaning down, Sirex tilted her chin up with one finger and looked into her eyes. "I'm not leaving you alone, Phoebe," he murmured. "Haven't I sworn to protect you?"

"Well, yes…" She nodded, feeling breathless all of a sudden from the intense eye contact.

"You have no need to fear," Sirex rumbled. "Just stay here in the room while I'm gone. When I get back we'll try again to think of a way to get to the Emperor."

Phoebe's heart skipped a beat as his burning red gaze held hers. When he looked at her like this, she wanted nothing more than to submit. But she couldn't—not this time.

"Sir, if I stay in the room, I think we'll be missing a golden opportunity," she pointed out. "All the men are going to be out of the palace—this is the perfect time for me to poke around and see if I can get into the Emperor's rooms somehow."

His face darkened.

"I don't like you risking yourself! Don't you remember what Y'sfer said about the penalty for attempting to see the Emperor without Thruck?"

"But Thruck will be out on the hunt with you," Phoebe pointed out. "No one will know."

"Unless one of the servants catches you and turns you in." He shook his head. "No, I don't want you taking a chance when I'm not here to protect you."

Phoebe bristled.

"I'm a trained agent—you trained me yourself! You know I can handle myself in a combat situation."

"You can handle yourself when you're armed and when there aren't too many assailants. But what happens if a group of male servants catch you?" Sirex demanded. "You've seen how they treat women on this planet."

"Yes, but?—"

"Enough!" he growled. "As the senior agent on this case I am ordering you to stay in the room and wait for me until I get back."

Phoebe felt a mixture of emotions. As always, when he gave her an order, she was tempted to go into submissive head-space and just melt. But she was also still angry that he was downplaying her abilities.

Sirex seemed to sense her mutinous thoughts.

"Phoebe, I won't go if you won't agree to stay here while I'm gone," he said sternly. "Will you stay?"

Phoebe sighed.

"Yes, Sir," she said at last. "I'll stay here and wait for you."

"Good." He nodded. "Now let me finish getting dressed so I can go to the hunt."

"Of course," Phoebe murmured.

But despite his words, Sirex held her eyes with his a little longer. He seemed to be searching for something in her gaze, she thought. She couldn't tell if he found it or not—he turned away abruptly and went to get the rest of his clothing.

Phoebe stood there for a moment, not sure what to say. Then she remembered she was still wearing nothing but a sheet draped around herself. It was a good thing Kat had packed her more clothing—even if it was the weird outfits made of long strips of fabric and beads and feathers that the women wore here. Maybe she could go without the harness completely since she was just staying in the room.

But even as she busied herself finding something to wear, she couldn't help thinking of all the things she and Sirex had done together the night before…and wishing she could remember them, since it was clear she was never going to get a chance to do them again.