Read Online Planet of Pain by B. A. Bradbury - Free Book Online Page B

usually.’
    â€˜Let’s dispense with the “sirs” shall we? Call me Taks. I doubt you could pronounce the full version.’
    He laughed, but it sounded a little forced. He was fairly short, no taller than Jo, and stocky. He looked to be in his early forties. ‘Would you like a drink?’ She shook her head. ‘No?’ he said. ‘I think I will. Why don’t you slip out of your smock, and we can get comfortable.’
    He poured himself a drink, then leaned against the bulkhead to watch her undress. Butterflies had started up in her stomach, and her hands were shaking as she unfastened the ties. She took off the gown and laid it across the back of the chair, kicked off her slippers, and turned to face him.
    â€˜Wow,’ he drawled, ‘you have a marvellous figure, you know that?’
    He went to the bed and sat down, patting the blanket, and on legs that felt oddly stiff she walked over and sat down beside him. He put his hand on her shoulder, and she stiffened.
    â€˜Relax. No one’s going to hurt you.’
    He stroked her shoulders, arms, neck and breasts, mapping her form. He stroked her ribs, her belly, and her thighs. ‘You’re a lovely girl, Jo,’ he murmured. ‘How old are you?’
    â€˜Twenty.’
    His hand pushed between her legs, and one finger penetrated her. She gave a soft, involuntary gasp of alarm, and her knees pressed together.
    â€˜Easy, easy,’ he crooned. ‘You’ve done this before, right? I can’t believe an attractive girl like you is a virgin.’
    He flexed his finger inside her, smiling as he watched her face. He did this for a while, but his movements were restricted and she could sense his growing impatience.
    â€˜This is no good,’ he said at last. ‘Lay back. Spread your legs.’
    He eased her down on the bed and put his hands between her thighs, encouraging her to open them. She forced herself to relax, and he pushed her knees wide apart. He put his first two fingers in his mouth, depositing saliva, then eased them inside her. He worked his hand back and forth, slowly at first, then with increased vigour.
    â€˜This is more like it,’ he said. ‘I bet your boyfriend does this to you, eh?’
    She thought about Mike, though he wasn’t really a boyfriend. They’d never properly sorted out what they were to each other. Friends, certainly, and lovers. She remembered their last day together, before she shipped out to take up her posting. He’d been worried about her going into combat, and she’d spent most of the time – when they weren’t in bed – trying to reassure him. Though she knew it made no sense she couldn’t help feeling she was letting Mike down by submitting to this. Tears pricked her eyes, and she blinked and forced them back. No way would she let this Leaguer see her cry.
    â€˜You like this, Jo-Jo?’
    Taks was gasping a little from his exertions. She could see how he might think she was enjoying it, for her body’s response to the fingering was everything he could wish for – her hips were moving, her breathing had quickened and her cheeks were flushed. Only her mind remained aloof, refusing to join in the fun.
    He worked her for several minutes more, then his movements slowed and finally he took his hand away. ‘My turn now,’ he said breathlessly.
    He stood up and took off his clothes, folding them carefully and laying them in a neat pile on the chair. He had an erection, though it started to wilt somewhat as he rolled up his socks and stuffed them into his boots. She sat up, then wondered if she should lay back again. She didn’t know what he wanted.
    â€˜So what do you think?’ he said, naked now. ‘Not bad for thirty-nine, eh?’ He patted his abdomen. He had a potbelly, though he was trying to hold it in, and his legs were too skinny for his body. ‘I should probably take more exercise, but