Checkmate (7 page)

Based on the way they charged straight for the middle of the
field, toward them, she suspected the creatures were either hungry or regarded
them as intruders on their turf. Or both.

Because they ran toward them from all sides, she and Raje
stood back to back, waiting.

“Don’t try stabbing them,” Raje suggested. “You won’t be
able to keep up. Sweep the weapon at the pack like this.” She turned to watch
him demonstrate. He held the staff out, angled down toward the ground. The flat
blade was nearly parallel with the field surface and the end just a couple of
inches above it. He then made a sharp, side-to-side motion. “Cut out their legs
and it should disable a bunch of them at a time.”

It made sense to her and it worked almost as well in
practice as it did in theory. The creatures scuttled out of the way with
surprising speed. Each swipe of the blade took out a few but not as many as
they’d hoped. It did drive back the ones not disabled or killed. For a while,
anyway.

It wasn’t the hardest of the challenges they faced, since
the creatures weren’t particularly smart. They just kept charging with no
change in tactics and no coordinated strategy. The animals’ only advantage was
their numbers. Though Raje and Devonne swept with the pikes and poked and
stabbed occasionally at some that got too close, it seemed like the more they
disposed of, the more gathered at the back of the pack to take the place of the
fallen.

Devonne hacked and slashed until her shoulders and arms
ached. For a while she really did think it hopeless. A few managed to reach her
long enough to sink sharp little teeth into the bare skin of her shins above
the ankle boots, leaving a nasty sting. Mindlessly, she kept skimming the
treckles with the pike, taking out one batch after another and impaling
stragglers that got too close.

By the time she could barely move her arms from exhaustion,
she looked up and realized there weren’t more than a couple of dozen left. It
gave her a small burst of energy and she swung at them with renewed vigor until
no more charged forward. Dismembered carcasses littered the field. Many of them
still rocked and struggled, banging against each other in a weird cacophony of
clicks.

Around them, the Sangari cheered their victory. By then the
last surge of adrenaline had worn off. Devonne couldn’t summon any emotion
beyond a nauseated horror and disgust.

The Sangari did bring a medical person to clean up their
wounds before they took her back to her quarters. She spent a couple of hours
soaking in the tub that evening before she felt clean enough to finally fall
asleep.

The next day’s “match” was the most shocking and trying one
yet.

The lawyers were both plainly unhappy and embarrassed as
they told her about it. They blushed and stammered while explaining what was
expected. When she finally understood, the anger that had been building up
through the four days of trials so far exploded.

Chapter Seven

“You can’t be serious,” Devonne shouted. “
They
can’t
be serious. Another couple? We’re supposed to have sex with another couple?”

Whetlock blushed an even deeper red. “I know it’s…awkward,”
he admitted. “But that is the requirement for this match. Specifically, each of
the four of you must be brought to an orgasm through the combined efforts of
the other three persons. However—and I think you’ll appreciate this—penetration
is not required.”

“This is ridiculous!” She paced around the dressing room
area. “Bad enough that Raje and I had to entertain them that way. At least we
lo—had a prior relationship. To do this with strangers? Including another
woman? I can’t do it. I won’t!”

“Devonne, we don’t have much time. Are you sure you won’t do
it? If so, I have to tell people. And we’ll both have to go back and see what
alternatives we can negotiate with the Tribunal.” Whetlock looked at the other
attorney. “Maybe they’d let the prince continue on his own?”

“I doubt it, but I’ll see what I can do.” Both men rose and
went toward the door.

“Wait.” Devonne forced herself to calm down. “I’ll do it.
Hell, we’re nearly halfway through this. Why blow it now? I was just letting
off steam.”

Both men turned around, relief spreading across their
features.

“I wonder what they’ll be asking for next, though?” she
speculated, then forced herself to put it aside. “Do they have anything exotic
for me to wear today?”

“It’s actually not terribly exotic.” Whetlock handed her a
pile of fabric, all bleached brilliantly white. She shook out a plain, short
tunic top and knee-length, loose skirt. “This isn’t so bad,” she admitted.

As she walked onto the field, ahead of the ever-present
Sangari guard, she at first had eyes only for Raje, approaching from the
opposite side of the field. As always, he looked stunningly handsome. He wore a
plain outfit also, similar in cut to her own, with a loose shirt and trousers.
His were a pale blue. He waved an arm in greeting to the crowd and the audience
responded with a roar of approval.

To her right, a slight young woman with reddish hair and
alabaster complexion approached the center. She wore the same clothes as
Devonne, only in a pale green color. A man entered on her left. Blond and
blue-eyed, he was taller than Raje but younger and more slender, almost thin.
He moved with an awkward, coltish gait. His outfit was a light yellow.

The round raised dais sat in the middle of the field again,
with a bed twice as large as the previous one taking up more than half of the
surface. Room for all four of them to cavort. Her stomach clenched into a tight
knot as her anger rose.

They met on the dais and came together in the small area not
covered by the bed. For a moment they studied each other in silence, then
Devonne introduced herself and Raje.

“I’m Alden Banner,” the man responded, “and my wife, Elissa.
We’re a bit… Look, we’re…we’ve never done anything like this before, and we’re
not sure what to say or do here.”

“Makes four of us,” Raje answered. “Let’s just view it as a
job to get done. We perform for them. Nothing personal. Who wants to volunteer
to be the first victim?”

“I will,” Devonne offered. Her stomach clenched painfully
even as she said the words. Might as well get it over with.

“Good. Anyone tell you they appreciate a good show?” Raje
asked the question of the other couple softly, hoping the Sangari wouldn’t
hear.

The man nodded. “We’ve been trying, but we’re not exactly…”

“Flamboyant types?” Devonne asked. “Neither am I, but I
think I can fake it better. And we’ve got him.” She nodded to Raje. “Mr.
Show-off there. So let’s put on a hell of an act for them. Follow our lead.
Raje, you want to start undressing me?” Despite her sarcasm, she was grateful
for Raje’s exhibitionist streak. He’d be carrying them on in this performance.

She tried to keep up the brave—even audacious—front, but it
took some effort. This was way outside her comfort zone.

“Group hug, first,” Raje suggested and grinned at the
silliness of it. “Remember, it’s all about the show.”

The way the crowd whooped and hollered as the four of them
snuggled into a tight bunch indicated he was right. It reminded them to go for
any dramatic embellishments they could manage.

They broke apart and shifted so the other three surrounded
her, each one touching and stroking her. The woman, Elissa, confined herself
initially to brushing fingers through Devonne’s hair. Devonne tolerated a kiss
from Alden but found it almost repulsive. It didn’t affect her the way Raje’s
kissed did at all. Alden’s brought an unpleasant, shivery feeling, though the
man himself seemed nice enough and wasn’t bad looking.

Raje pulled her tunic top up and over her head, released the
fastening on the skirt and let it slide down her legs, then spent a few minutes
kissing her and running his hands down her sides to her breasts. The feel of
his mouth and fingers against her flesh helped relax her.
Focus on that, on
Raje, on his touch
, she told herself. Alden helped guide her when Raje
tipped her back onto the bed. She slid to the middle to let the other three
kneel around her.

Even though she tried to narrow her awareness only to Rage,
it was still one of the most bizarre experiences of her life. This was just
pure sex, almost completely dissociated from the emotions it usually roiled in.
Even when she’d made love with other men before, they’d been people she at
least cared for. To do this most private and intimate act with strangers made
her feel like some kind of doll. There was a certain weird excitement about it,
perhaps in the sheer novelty. She wouldn’t ever want to repeat it though.

Raje placed himself between her legs and signaled the other
couple to lean in over her. He said, “Each of you take a breast. I’ll handle
down here. Elissa, if you’re not comfortable just fake it but try to make it
look good. Alden, she’s the love of my life. Make it good for her.”

The words jolted her right down to the deepest recesses of
her soul. He couldn’t really mean it. He was an accomplished liar. It had to be
part of the performance. Didn’t it? She raised her head.

Alden turned to stare at Raje for a moment. Devonne could
just barely see Raje’s face beyond the other man and woman. His expression was
deadly serious when he met her gaze for a brief moment.

Alden nodded and turned to look down at her breast, blocking
her view of Raje. The words kept rattling around in her brain, though.
The
love of my life
.

Alden skimmed a gentle hand along her cheek, jaw, throat and
chest, reaching her breast and cupping it hesitantly. Elissa leaned over her
other breast, letting her long, straight hair slide forward to hide what she
actually did. Smart move.

Then Raje began to brush his tongue up and down the insides
of her thighs. She moaned loudly and closed her eyes. By not watching, she
could convince herself that Raje was not just the mouth moving up her thighs
and into her slit but his also were the hands that massaged her right breast
and the mouth that blew on her left. The attention soon had her squirming on
the bed as the pressure inside built to another supernova.

Raje flicked her clit with his tongue, licking and sucking.
She kept her eyes shut and thought only of him, picturing him in her mind since
she couldn’t actually see him. Tension grew, hard, heavy, tightening rapidly.
Then he scraped his teeth over the bud and the stars burst in a shower of
fireworks while spasms of release had her bucking and shouting.

Raje rubbed her thighs gently and Alden caressed her breast
until her breathing calmed and she opened her eyes. After a few minutes, she
sighed and said, “You’re a talented group.”

They all looked at her, Raje with pride, Alden with
something that might be reserved respect and Elissa with an expression she
couldn’t read at all.

“Alden next?” Raje suggested. The man colored lightly but
nodded and stood. Devonne rose with the others, trying not to worry about her
lack of clothing. She’d been nude in front of this crowd before.

Alden removed his shirt but then seemed paralyzed with his
fingers in the waistband of the pants. Elissa went around the bed and pushed
the pants down his legs, revealing a pretty impressive erection. Points to
Elissa. The color in Alden’s pink cheeks deepened, standing out against his
otherwise pale skin. Possibly to help with his discomfort, Raje removed his own
clothes.

Alden’s penis wasn’t as pretty as Raje’s, though about the
same size. His was thickly veined and had a slight crook to one side. Elissa
put her arm around him and held him for a few minutes, then they moved together
to the bed. The tenderness and care of the gesture struck Devonne a blow. Once
she might have done the same for Raje, though she couldn’t remember a time when
he’d needed that sort of reassurance.

Raje and Devonne took up positions on either side of Alden’s
chest. For the first time Raje looked seriously uncomfortable and hesitated.
Given her thoughts of just moments before, the irony made her smile. She tried
to offer a reassuring glance. Maybe he didn’t understand it, though. When
Devonne leaned over to kiss Alden, Raje sent a furious glare her way, then
sighed and nodded. To improve the show, she stretched out beside Alden,
positioning herself so that her breasts were against him, one lying visible
atop his chest. Alden stiffened, then relaxed.

Elissa glowered at Devonne until she reminded the woman in a
low voice, “It’s a show.” Elissa bent down to press her lips to her husband’s
cock, resigned but not happy about it. Devonne brushed her hand up and down
Alden’s chest. Taking his cue from her, but just as unhappy as Elissa about the
situation, Raje also stretched out alongside Alden, letting his cock be
squeezed between his stomach and the other man’s side. His erection flew at
half-mast by then, probably due to his discomfort.

Caressing Alden brought Devonne a surprising revelation. She
found affection for the man growing, though she’d met him less than an hour
before. Perhaps the very act of being so physically intimate induced it, though
surely the man’s courage and affection for his wife played a part.

Mercifully, it didn’t take long to bring him to orgasm, most
likely because Elissa knew exactly how to please him and set about making it
happen as quickly as possible. Devonne had to remind him to groan aloud. She
sucked on his nipple, intrigued by the difference between it and Raje’s more
substantial one, and even nipped lightly. Alden did yell strongly as his cum
spurted over the hand his wife had wrapped around his cock onto his chest. The
watching crowd cheered.

Elissa went next. Fear or disgust made her go rigid as her
husband helped her undress. She lay back down, but it took a while to get her
relaxed. Raje noticed her discomfort and backed off a few critical tenths of an
inch. To the crowd it looked as though he touched her, but no part of his body
actually made contact with hers. When she remained stiff and unresponsive,
Devonne also moved away. After a minute, Alden asked to take Raje’s place at
her side and then suggested Raje get behind him.

Neither man was comfortable with the result since it meant
much closer contact between the two of them, but Elissa gradually relaxed with
only Alden pressing any skin to hers. He leaned over to nip at her ear for a
few minutes while his hand slid down into her slit.

Devonne’s hair wasn’t long enough to hide her face but she
tried to look as though she put her mouth on the other woman’s breast without
actually doing so.

Elissa began to groan and squeal, even shrieking
occasionally, as she grew more excited. Who’d have guessed she’d be so noisy?
It added nicely to the show, however. She also bucked and wriggled violently.
The crowd roared its approval as the woman’s back arched up off the bed. When
Elissa came, it was with a long, shrill scream. Amplified by the microphones,
it resonated throughout the stadium. Alden kissed and held her as she continued
to spasm for some time.

A few minutes later, Raje looked at them all and said, “I’m
last. Let’s try to finish with a really grand finale. So give it all you’ve got
with me. Whatever you want.”

“He means it,” Devonne assured the other couple when they
looked skeptical. “He’s a natural exhibitionist. ‘Shy’ and ‘modest’ got left
out of his tool box. Stand up.” She directed the last at Raje.

He complied with just a single raised eyebrow.

“Elissa, get behind him and put your arms around his chest.
Alden, behind her.” The other woman colored again but did as she asked, getting
behind Raje and wrapping her arms around his chest. Her husband stood behind
her and reached forward to put his hands on the Raje’s sides. Devonne shifted
Elissa’s hands so they covered the man’s pectorals and nipples, then moved
Alden’s hands down to just below the waist.

“You two mostly just need to hang on and brace yourselves.
Don’t let him fall or wiggle away.”

They both nodded. She met Raje’s eyes for a moment. The
glint of appreciation and admiration jolted into and all the way through her.
They understood each other so well. She’d never experienced such a deep
connection with another human being, almost as though they were two parts of
the same whole. The idea intimidated and excited her.

It didn’t keep her from plastering herself against him,
stomach to stomach, chest to chest and face to face, even though it meant her
breasts pressed against Elissa’s hands.

Holding his face with her fingers, she kissed him
thoroughly, aggressively, plunging her tongue into his mouth and exploring all
its heated corners. He tasted so good she didn’t want to stop, but she finally
forced herself to pull back. She slid down his body and dropped to her knees in
front of him. Breasts slithered down his abdomen, enclosing his cock along the
way. Her knees hit the wood floor harder than she’d anticipated, but with the
scent of Raje filling her nostrils and his penis in front of her she could
ignore the ache.