“We’d love to,” Trin said, though she privatelydoubted she spoke for both herself and Thrace. The big Havoc hadn’t seemedto like Lord X at all—not that she blamed him. There was something strangeabout that male, something somehow familiar in the way he made her feel.But that was crazy, wasn’t it? Until she’d bought Thrace, Trin hadn’t had more thanfleeting contact with any male. So how could she find one familiar?

“Such a lovely male. A pity no one else will dealwith him,” Lady Tam-tam remarked.

“Indeed,” Trin said neutrally. Lady Tam-tam turnedto speak to someone on the other side of her and she looked down to see that Thrace’sbig hands were still cupping her breasts. Strange that while talking to Lord Xshe had almost forgotten they were there. But now, seeing them again andfeeling his warm palms against her nipples made her pulse begin to race.

“He’s gone now,” she muttered to the big Havoc.“You can let me go. And you didn’t have to do that in the first place.”

“Didn’t like the way he was looking at you,” Thracegrowled, finally removing his hands. Trin’s nipples peaked immediately in thechilly air and she missed the warmth of his palms, though she would never sayso.

“He was looking at me the way you do, that’s all,”she snapped.

“Exactly.” His face was like a thundercloud as hewatched the retreating back of Lord X. “I don’t like that son of a bitch. Notone fucking bit.”

Privately Trin agreed but she knew she couldn’t sayso in front of Lady Tam-tam.

“Let’s try to forget about him and eat,” shemurmured, picking up the long handled miniature silver shovel again. Shespooned up a dainty bite of the steaming purple mush. “This looks…delicious.Want some?”

“Hell no,” Thrace grumbled. “But give me abite anyway.”

Trin did and took some for herself—it was bland fora moment, then packed a sharply sour aftertaste that made her lips pucker.Again, not the best thing she’d ever eaten but not the worst either, thoughdoubtless it was incredibly expensive and rare—imported from some distant worldor other.

They went through several more courses, some betterthan others including a plate filled with long, slippery strips made of thetongue of a cheena bird and a plate of squirming multicolored bugs whichTrin point blank refused to taste. Then the main course was brought in throughthe wide side door, carried on a vast platter by fourteen slaves—seven on eachside.

“Oh goody—the shromp!” Lady Tam-tam clappedher hands in anticipation. “You really must try this my dear,” she said toTrin. “It’s such a delicacy! I got it all the way from Rigel 4 and thereare only five hundred left in captivity, you know. Well, I guess now fourhundred and ninety-nine.” She giggled.

“So…it’s endangered?” Trin asked bluntly, eying thehuge creature which was larger than a life pod shuttle.

“And delicious.” Lady Tam-tam smiled,obviously missing the point. “Just look how crispy and brown my head chef gotthe skin! That’s not easy to do, you know. The shromp must be roastedfor forty days at very low heat because of its size.”

“It has six legs,” Trin remarked, staring at thevast, roasted carcass. The chef had adorned the shromp’s crispy brownface with large, yellow glass eyes and it appeared to be staring at heraccusingly.

“Six legs, two hearts, and four sex organs,” LadyTam-ram said happily. “Those last are the real delicacy—I’ve given orders forthem to be served exclusively at the high table.”

“I couldn’t possibly—I’m getting so full,” Trindemurred when the server put a piece of shriveled gray tubing on the plate infront of her.

“Oh, you must try it! And give your slavesome as well,” Lady Tam-tam declared. “After all, shromp phallus issupposed to be very good for stamina. And I’m sure you’ll be needingthat tonight, yes?” She raised an eyebrow at Trin, who felt her cheeks heating.

“I…suppose,” she said hesitantly. “Of course, it’sbeen a long day. I might just turn in early.”

Lady Tam-tam frowned. “How very disappointing.Most couples who are privileged to stay in one of my famous dreaming suits findthey have renewed energy and stamina. Why some of them stay up all nightlong.”

Trin felt her stomach do a slow flip. “All nightlong doing what?” she asked bluntly.

It was Lady Needra who answered.

“Oh, you name it,” she said, her eyes twinkling.“Sometimes after I let Yorth here bathe me and caress me with oils, we just lieon the bed and worship each other with our bodies for hours.”

“Worship each other?” Trin asked.

“Oh yes.” The blonde mistress nodded eagerly.“Yorth is especially good with his mouth.” She grinned. “And he justcan’t get enough of penetrating me with his tongue. He says I’m yummy.” Shegiggled.

“I…he…” Trin shifted uncomfortably, a movementwhich made Thrace’sshaft rub against her slick inner pussy. He gave a low groan from behind herwhich she tried to ignore. “So you let him…penetrate you that way…that way…?” Too?she somehow managed not to add. It reminded her of what Thrace had said he wanted to do toher and even now she could feel his thick cock throbbing against her clit.

“Of course I do! I mean, oral penetration doesn’treally count, now does it?” Lady Needra said. “Not like, you know…letting him fuckme.” She rose slightly to reach for her wine glass again. When she sank backdown, her eyes fluttered closed for a moment and Yorth uttered a low, torturedgroan.

Trin wasn’t nearly as shocked this time, though shecould still scarcely believe that Lady Needra would allow herself to bepenetrated by a male, let alone in public.

“Oh, is she at it again?” Lady Tam-tam remarked,giggling. “That naughty Needra—such an exhibitionist.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”Needra’s voice came out low and breathy. “I’m just having some…some wine.” Sherolled her hips in a slow, leisurely fashion and Yorth groaned again. “Though Ido know some mistresses who let their slaves penetrate them that way,”she added to Trin.

“Is that right?” Trin asked flatly.

Lady Needra nodded eagerly.

“Oh, yes—so shocking! I know one especially whodoesn’t even use a barrier between herself and her slave. She lets him slidehis hard, naked shaft deep inside her unprotected sex.”

“Does she?” Trin raised an eyebrow. She was tryingnot to let the performance affect her but all the same, she couldn’t help beinghyper-aware of Thrace’shot shaft throbbing against her slick pussy. They had shifted around so much bynow that her outer lips had spread completely open, allowing his thick cockunrestricted access to her inner cunt.

“She does. She lets him fuck her just likethat—completely bare,” Needra widened her eyes. “So if the slave goes too farand comes inside her…” She rolled her hips some more and Trin saw Yorth’s bighands squeeze into fists as he apparently fought the urge to move along withher. “Why, all that creamy white cum goes right up inside her tight littlepussy,” the blonde mistress ended breathlessly.

Trin’s mouth felt dry and she clenched her ownhands into fists as well. Why was it when Needra spoke like this, all she couldpicture was Thracethrusting deep inside her own pussy, filling her up?

No,she told herself. It’s degrading and wrong—don’teven think such a thing!

“Gods,” she heard Thrace mutter. When she turned tolook at him, she saw that his jaw was clenched and a muscle was jumping in histemple. Was he thinking the same thing she was? Was that why his shaft hadsuddenly gotten so much harder against her? He was really pressing against herclit hard now and for some reason her pussy had gotten creamy and wet all overagain, making her spread around him in a most distressing way.

“I think we’d better try some of this lovely shrompphallus,” she said hurriedly, cutting off a chunk of the gray, shriveledtubing and popping it into her mouth. “Mmm…delicious.”