Power and Pleasure

Jordan realized that she should rise to meet the monarch, and just managed to push herself up from the sofa she had been sitting on. By the time she had stood up fully, the Emperor was standing just half a meter in front of her. He took her hands lightly in his and kissed the back of each hand. His eyes still locked on hers. "Welcome to my home."

Jordan drew a breath and fought to keep it from turning into a raspy sigh. "Thank you Sire."

"Nathaniel." He reached behind her head and freed her hair from the elastic band that held it in the ponytail. His fingers combed through her hair until it was falling loosely about her shoulders. He caressed the sides of her neck again, making her recall her experience on the podium earlier that day.

"Nathaniel," she finally managed to say, forcing her mind to clear slightly.

"Let's eat," The Emperor pronounced, leading Jordan down a corridor into a tastefully decorated dining room. He ushered her to a chair on the left side of the table's head, then seated each of his wives before taking his seat at the head of the table with Jordan at his left and Shayal to his right.

The meal was sumptuous and perfectly prepared. In minutes Jordan was again at ease. The conversation seemed to revolve around family issues that would be spoken of at any family's dinner table; if the table included a dozen or so co-wives and ten children of various ages. At the end of the meal the Emperor rose to make a toast.

"To Commander Carol Jordan: may she find peace and love." The Emperor raised his glass as his toast was repeated.

Jordan was silent. She tried to accept the honor graciously, but it seemed to be an oddly familiar sentiment for the occasion. All she could do was accept it, though. As open and approachable as they were, they were still the royal family. Questioning their hospitality would be the height of impropriety.

Later, the group had returned to the living room. The Emperor saw each of his children off to bed before settling onto one of over-wide sofas where he was joined by Shayal and Sandra who snuggled next to him. The other wives found seats about the room but remained close to one another. They were constantly holding and caressing each other. Jordan had not expected the atmosphere of the royal household to be so loving. She had seen the Emperor as a warrior who had held back chaos by force arms and force of will. Now she saw him as a loving husband who was loved by his wives in return. The wives even seemed to love each other. There was no hint of jealously.

As the evening progressed, the wives changed positions; each spending time cuddling with the emperor. The women took turns rubbing one another's shoulders and temples and the emperor tended to several of them in the same way. Jordan found herself at ease again. Occasionally, she would become slightly uncomfortable when the Emperor or one of the wives said something or looked at her in a way that suggested that she was part of the family's intimacy, but those feelings faded quickly. She kept up her part of the conversation, and found herself speaking more freely than thought wise.

Hours passed, and Jordan was becoming quite tired. She was wondering what the protocol was for excusing herself from the gathering. It was then that the Emperor stood, approached Jordan, and extended his hand to her.

"Will you walk in the garden with me?" He asked as though he was actually unsure of his answer. How could she not want to walk with him?

She took his hands and he helped her to her feet. This brought her to within millimeters of his body. Her body tingled, her breath quickened, and she felt abruptly hot. "I'd love to Nathaniel." She had used his first name without thinking. Being so close to him, it seemed silly to call him by an impersonal title.

He slipped and arm around her waist; his hand sliding against her bare back as he did so. Jordan shuddered at his touch then settled contentedly against his side and put an arm around him. He led her out of the living room and down a flight of stairs. At the bottom of the stairs two guards opened a set of double doors.

The scent of flowers flowed through open portal. Jordan breathed in the sweet smells. The scent seemed to penetrate her whole body. But when her feet hit the grass she was startled a bit and looked down abruptly. Lush green grass was under her feet and protruding between her toes.

"Is something wrong?" Nathaniel asked.

"No, it's just that the grass feels funny under my feet," She answered, a bit embarrassed.

"You've never walked barefoot on grass?" He inquired caressing her face.

"No, I was born in space," She answered, leaning her face into his hand. "I didn't set foot on any planet until I was eight years old, and the part we landed on was scorched desert. I've spent my whole life on one starship or another, so barefoot walks weren't high on the agenda."

"You'll really enjoy this then." He took her lightly around the waist again and began walking slowly. "You can just let yourself smell the flowers, feel the breeze, and the grass beneath your feet. If you don't think too much the garden will embrace you, and take all your cares away. You'll just feel them drain into the ground through your feet. That's why the Andrians don't wear shoes when they are trying to relax. They believe that the ground can draw negativity out of your body through the feet."

"Do you believe that?" Carol asked.

"I don't disbelieve it."

"It is beautiful here," Carol commented, looking up at huge moon which cast soft light over the garden and unconsciously curling her toes in the grass. "The moon is so large here."

"It's three times the size of earth's moon, but a little over twice as far away as Earth's moon is from Earth," Nathaniel explained.

"You've surrounded yourself with beauty," Jordan observed.

Nathaniel pulled her a bit closer. "Yes, I have."

They walked and talked for nearly an hour. Carol felt as though she was on a date with suitor. She realized that was exactly what was happening. The rumors were true: the Emperor wanted her. However, what was more important to her was that Nathaniel Trent wanted her. That realization pleased her. It also frightened her a little. Could she be one among many wives? Could she put aside her own jealousies and insecurities? At that precise moment, with the scent of thousands of flowers in the air, pale moonlight softening the night, and Nathaniel's body warm against her, the answer was yes. But what would happen when the mood was not so romantic?

Nathaniel had stopped walking. It was as though he had known what she had been thinking. His arms came around her waist from behind and pull her against him. Her back settled against the front of his body. The flesh left exposed by the v-shaped opening of his tunic was warm and smooth against her bare back. His arms held her very gently, but she could feel great strength lying dormant in the sculpted muscles. She felt safe as she melted into him. She felt as though she was enveloped by his strength; his power. It was a flowing masculine energy that drew out all of her feminine energy, joined with it and made it flare to life.

"What is happening?" She asked softly; forcing her brain to work despite her overloaded senses.

"Nothing you don't want to happen," Nathaniel replied before kissing her lightly on the side of her neck.

She swayed slightly in his arms. "What are you doing to me? This feels different."

Nathaniel nibbled her right ear. "What does it feel like?"

"Good," Carol said through heavy breath. "But I've never felt this way before," Her hands caressed his forearms.

"Do you want me to stop?" Nathaniel asked her.

His power faded and her head seemed to clear at that moment. She was still highly aroused, but the euphoria she had been feeling was gone. Whatever power Nathaniel had been using on her, he wanted her to be able answer his question with a clear head. His power was not encompassing her anymore, but his arms were still around her, his breath was still warm against her neck, and her body was still firmly against his. Did she want him to stop? "No, Don't stop."

He turned her to face him. For a moment he looked into her eyes as his finger stroked her spine. "God, you have beautiful brown eyes."

He kissed her then. His arms coiled around her hold her against him with the perfect amount of pressure. His tongue slipped into her mouth, teasing hers into ardent response. Her hands coiled in his hair; holding his lips to hers. He had not begun using his power again. The kiss was incredible all on its own.

"Follow me," Nathaniel said, leading her by the hand. He led her back to the palace, but he used a different entrance than they had earlier. After a short walk through palace corridors, he took her into a suite of apartments similar to the royal quarters. "These will be your quarters."

"My quarters?" Carol asked. The walk had given her time to clear her head.

"Sit with me for a while," Nathaniel said, gesturing toward a piece of furniture that seemed to be part sofa and part bed. Carol sat and Nathaniel maneuvered to sit behind her; his legs on either side of her thighs. His hands touched her shoulders and ran down her arms so gently it was almost imperceptible. "Kalin was right. You are tense."

"I don't feel tense." Carol purred, even without his seductive energy affecting her; his touch was enough to excite her.

"But you are. You're a bundle of knots." His hands moved to her lower back and stoked up to her neck with his palms. She leaned forward slightly so his hands could more easily do their work. He repeated this stroke several times in a slow rhythm. She felt the muscles in her back lose tension she hadn't been aware of. His thumbs made circles on either side of her spine, working from its base to the nape of her neck. Carol found herself lost in his skilled touch. His hands soothed muscles and nerves clouding her mind in a fog of sublime sensation.

"I want you to join my family." Nathaniel said softly as his fingers did something incredible to the nerve clusters on the sides of her neck. "I want you be my wife and my chief of staff."

Carol was thoroughly enjoying Nathaniel's touch. But she could still, with great effort, think. "You don't even know me," she said I a seduction-softened voice.

His hands made circles on her sides just behind her breasts. "I've been watching you since well before you were hurt saving your shipmates. I know that you will be a perfect addition to my family and to my staff."

"I don't know you," Carol said.

"Yes you do," Nathaniel said. "You've seen me tonight. You've felt who I am. You know me on a level that is more important than intellect."

"Yes," Carol agreed. She did know him, she thought. She knew his heart.

"Do you want to make love to me?" His hands were now rubbing her arms.

"Yes," Carol breathed; the last bit of resistance carried away on that breath.

At the same instant Nathaniel's hand slipped under the sides of her dress to cup her breasts and his sense expanding power flowed through her. She moaned from deep within herself. His fingers glided over her taught nipples and then his hands massaged the mounds as he had massaged her back. She was floating on a sea of sensuality.

"Relax Carol, just relax," Nathaniel whispered in her ear. "Give in to what you're feeling. Let that energy flow through you. You can let you mind drift. Your body is what matters now. Listen to your body; surrender to it."

"Surrender," Carol repeated. As she spoke the word her mind seemed to switch itself off. It was as though the volume of her conscious mind had been turned all the way down. She could feel Nathaniel's hands as the skimmed her body and removed her clothing. She could hear his voice which seemed to stroke her mentally as his hands did physically. It told her to relax, to trust him, to give into what she was feeling, to let his wonderful energy flow through her. The words soaked into her mind as Nathaniel caressed every inch of her. *** "Carol, can you hear me?" Nathaniel asked. Her head was resting in his lap, and he was massaging her temples.

"Yes." Her voice was distant and sleepy.

"Do you know what I've done to you?"

"In trance," she replied with a pleased smile.

"How do you know that?" He pressed.

"I took psych class in the academy, volunteered for a hypnosis demonstration. It wasn't as much fun as this." Her voice was temptingly sleepy. She had gone into trance deeply and quickly and Nathaniel would use that to please her and help her heal.

"How do you feel?" Nathaniel asked her, continuing stroking her temples while he admired her naked body. Her nipples were hard and protruding, the neatly trimmed hair between her legs was already moist, and her lips were lush and full.

"Relaxed... safe... warm."

Nathaniel smiled. He sent more of his power through her. "Carol I want you to take a deep breath and hold it."

Carol obeyed instantly. Nathaniel let her hold the breath for a few seconds. "Carol when I tell you to exhale all of the tension that's left in your body and mind will flow out with that breath and you will be twice as relaxed as you are now." He looked at her tranquil face for one more second.

"Exhale."

She let the breath out and she seemed to sink deeper into the couch. She sighed and then was still accept for her deep, even breathing.

"Alright Carol, I'm going to give you some suggestions." *** Carol woke up on the sofa with a pillow supporting her head. She was naked, accept for her medal of honor around her neck, and felt better than she could remember feeling. She looked up and saw Nathaniel looking down at her with hungry eyes. She locked those eyes in hers. She remembered his slow seduction but could not real going to sleep. It didn't matter.

She got up and stood in front of him. Holding the metal in one hand and looking at it. "Why did you leave this on?"

"It's what brought you to me," He said, grasping the ribbon and using it to pull her closer.

For several seconds she peered into his eyes without touching him. Then she kissed him. The kiss was deep and slow. His hands slid down the skin of her back until they cupped her bottom and squeezed gently. She could feel his arousal though his pants and involuntarily ground herself against it; loving the feel of the silk against her womanhood. Every touch seemed to be amplified. Every caress was more pleasurable than the last.

Nathaniel smiled with satisfaction as he touched her face, and Carol sighed with pleasure. His suggestion to her while she was in trance had obviously worked. He had suggested that his touch would be twice as pleasurable as the touch of any other man she had been with, and that each touch would feel better than the last. He rubbed the nape of her neck and she seemed to lose herself in her pleasure.

He cupped her ample breast in his hands and kneaded them as he kissed her. Her moan melded with his when their mouths met. She put her hands on top of his and held them to her breasts. He kissed and fondled her for a long time before she moved her hands to the knot of the sash that held his tunic closed grazing his abdomen with her fingernails as she did so.

She looked him in the eyes as she untied the sash and pushed the tunic off of his shoulders. Her hands flatted against his bared chest and she placed a soft, wet kiss on its center.

Nathaniel's eyes fluttered closed as she kissed a line down his chest and abdomen, then up again. She untied the drawstring to his pants and pushed them down. Absorbing the image of his naked form and imprinting it on her memory. His proportions were perfect, and his skin was taut and smooth. She admired his arousal standing firm and ready; proud that she was responsible for that readiness. She took him into her hand and stroked him gently. His head drifted back and a long breath left him.

Then there was another kiss. This time there was bare flesh against bare flesh. Carol tried to press as much of her as she could against him. Without, breaking the kiss, he put her arms around his waist and pressed her hands against his buttocks. Twisting her torso so her nipples rubbed against his chest; loving the feel the bit of chest hair against them.

Nathaniel bent forward and caused her to lean backward until he was supporting nearly all of her weight. He held her tightly as he kissed her left nipple and rolled his tongue around the areola. Carol moaned again and her head drifted backward as her arms moved to hold him to her bosom. He switched from one breast to another until he ended his ministrations there by pulling lightly on each nipple with his teeth. Carol wondered if it was actually possible to pass out from pleasure.

Nathaniel stood up; bringing her yielding form with him. He turned her in his arms so her back was again to him. He swept her hair back and kissed the back of her neck, nipping at the skin there very softly. A great sigh came from Carol.

"That's so nice." She rasped. Nathaniel kissed her there again and brushed his lips back and forth of the same spot. Carol writhed in his arms. The second suggestion he had given her while she was in trance was as affective as the first. He had notice that she reacted pleasurably when touched there when had massaged her earlier, and had reinforced that response while she was entranced. He continued to kiss and nuzzle her neck until she turned and kissed him again. This kiss was demanding.

She filled her hands with his hair a pulled him into the kiss, moving her hips suggestively. He sent his power through her. She released his head and looked at him with surprise. He had somehow calmed her urgency without ruing the mood. She was still incredibly aroused, but he had soothed her back into an even, slow-burning passion. He kissed her softly then; barely touching her lips with his. His finger stroked her spine in long, petting strokes and she snuggled as close to him as she could. She laid her head his chest as his hands explored her body. He had created a lull in their passion. The pace was slowed so the pleasure would continue instead of ending before either of them wanted it to.

He held her for several minutes until her breathing had slowed and her heart had ceased to pound. Then he drew her into another kiss: a soul-searing kiss. His power surged through her again as their tongue fenced with each other. The energy he exuded made her slightly euphoric. Her thinking mind retreated further into the background. She became a creature of sensation; of sensuality. She was drowning in pleasure. He led her by the hand into the suites bedchamber.

She perceived only the most general features of the room. She knew that the bed was large and that the room was lit by many candles. Then Nathaniel was kissing her again and nothing else mattered but her growing need for release. She was sure that she would have an orgasm soon if Nathaniel continued the foreplay for much longer, even if they didn't actually have sex. He had expertly prepared her body and mind for making love. What she was experiencing verged on spiritual. She felt as though everything negative within her had been driven out by the power of the pleasure she was feeling.

Nathaniel sat on the edge of the bed and brought her breasts to his mouth again. This time he sucked gently on the sensitized nipples while his hands moved up and down her back recreating the massage he had given her earlier. She reveled in this attention for a time before she put her hands on his shoulders and guided him to lie back on the bed. He allowed her to place his hands behind his head and kept them there as she kissed and sucked on his nipples as he had hers. He sucked in a sharp breath as she tended to each nipple.

"You like that," she said. It was not a question.