“Probably better you don’tremember then,” he growled.

“Probably.” She shivered. “Idon’t understand though—you can tell I barely got a whiff of the gas while yougot a lot of it. But I was the one who had the nightmare. Whywas that?”

“Simple—it wasn’t your nightmare,” Lady Tam-tam said. Shenodded at Thrace.“It was his. Or else a bad memory turned into a nightmare.”

“But how did I get his nightmare or memory orwhatever?” Trin demanded. She nodded at Thrace and noticed that the bigHavoc was looking distinctly uncomfortable but he didn’t say anything.

“You’d had the white gas—theTruth gas earlier.” Lady Tam-tam sounded bored, as though this didn’t interesther at all. “And you were sleeping closely connected to him—naked in his arms.The skin-to-skin contact allowed his nightmare or past trauma to jump to youand you became the one who manifestedit. However…” She sat up and stared at Trin sharply. “That isn’t what I brought you here to see. This is.”

She pushed some more buttons andonce more the images on the screen blurred to static. In a moment they stoppedand Trin was faced with the scene of herself lying at the end of the bed while Thraceknelt between her legs and kissed and licked her pussy.

“Goddess of Judgment,” shewhispered, feeling as though she might faint. Somehow seeing what they had donetogether on the screen made the act she’d committed all the more real. She feltfaint as she watched the big Havoc thrust two thick fingers deep inside herwhile he licked and sucked her clit. The sight filled her with shame but evenworse, it filled her with desire. She could feel the tips of her breaststingling and the area between her thighs where he had so lately licked andkissed her was throbbing and swollen with need.

“See? Very nice. Especially foryour first time.” Lady Tam-tam turned to her, a small smile playing around herlips. “Oh yes, my dear Lady Trin—I know your true story. I got it all out oflady Malroth right after first meal. I know that you’re really from Zetta Primeand your Havoc is a slave of convenience in order to help you do business onYonnie Six—not really a love-slave as you claimed.”

“Untrue,” Thrace interrupted in a deep growl.“That may have been the case when my lady first bought me but I am hers now,body and soul. I care for her deeply though, as a true daughter of Zetta Prime,she cannot return my emotions.”

“Is this so?” Lady Tam-tamfrowned at Trin.

Trin drew herself up,embarrassment and rage warring within her. Rage won.

“Not that it’s any of yourbusiness,” she said icily. “But yes.”

Lady Tam-tam made a motion withone finger. “Go on.”

Trin clenched her hands intofists, trying to hold on to her temper.

“I bought Thrace to act as a prop so that Icould make trade agreements with the mistresses of Yonnie Six,” she said. “Thenhe saved my life and I was going to set him free but he wouldn’t let me. Heinsisted on staying with me until I had earned back his slave price—fiftythousand credits.” For some reason the price echoed in her head, bothering her.But she didn’t have time to think why.

“Fifty thousand credits?” LadyTam-tam raised an eyebrow. “My, that’s muchtoo much to pay for a single slave.”

“It is,” Trin confessed. “Butthe slaver who was selling him had accused me to the security Crangs—because Ipunched him when he wouldn’t stop using the collar on Thrace. It was either pay his priceor wind up on the auction block myself.” She cleared her throat. “Also, he wasgoing to kill Thraceright in front of me. I paid the price to save both of us—I had no choice.”

“So…you paid that ridiculousprice, doubtless using up your pitiful savings, and putting yourself in thered,” Lady Tam-tam said. “And now, according to Lady Malroth, you have a bundleof Jaxite crystals you want to unloadin order to get into the black again.”

“Something like that,” Trin saidcoolly. “We don’t all live on a natural deposit of Dream Gas, my lady. I haveto make a living somehow. However, as we have clearly failed here, Thraceand I will be happy to leave.” She gave a small, frosty bow and started towithdraw.

“Wait.” Lady Tam-tam frowned ather. “Don’t go, Lady Trin. I have…a proposition for you.”

* * * * *

“What is it?” Thrace stepped forward, puttinghimself between Trin and their hostess. He didn’t like the greedy gleam in LadyTam-tam’s eyes, or the fact that she knew all their secrets.

“I wasn’t speaking to you,slave.” Lady Tam-tam frowned. “However, my proposition does concern you so you may listen respectfully.”

“I’m all ears,” Thracegrowled. He fell back a pace but stayed close to Trin, making sure she knew hewas there if she needed him.

“As I said earlier, I know thatyou are really from Zetta Prime—that benighted planet where they have no usefor males at all,” Lady Tam-tam said, addressing Trin. “And so I assume thatwhat I saw just now in your suite was the first ever time you had allowed amale to taste you and penetrate you sexually.”

“He…he never really penetrated me. Not with hisshaft.” Trin’s voice shook and her creamy cheeks were flushed but she kept herchin high, staring down the older female fearlessly.

“I know that,” Lady Tam-tamsnapped. “But am I correct in my assumption?”

“Yes,” Trin admitted withobvious reluctance. “Though I don’t see how that’s relevant here.”

“It’s relevant because I love firsts, my dear,” Lady Tam-tamexclaimed. “The first kiss…the first embrace…the first flush of love and trustthat allowed you to surrender to him and let him open you with thephallus…Firsts are tremendously exciting.”

“As well as embarrassing,” Trinmuttered, frowning.

“You shouldn’t be embarrassed tolet yourself fall in love,” Lady Tam-tam said earnestly. “Or to express thatlove in a physical way. So— am I correct in assuming that you have never beenpenetrated by a male’s shaft?”

“Of course not!” Trin exclaimed.“That would be blasphemy—a slap in the face of the Goddess of Judgment!”

“Oh please! That silly Goddessof Judgment all you Daughters of Zetta are so fearful of.” Lady Tam-tam made ashooing gesture with one hand, as though Trin’s deeply held beliefs were simplyridiculous.

“There’s a reason we fear her,”Trin said quietly. “She is quick to anger when her laws are broken…and shealmost never forgives.”

“Very well then, enough aboutthat,” Lady Tam-tam said. “Am I alsocorrect in assuming you have never penetrated a male with a phallus—such as theones I gave out for all to wear tonight?”

Trin flushed again. “No. I…Ihave never done such a thing. Nor do I wish to.”

“But you must, my dear.” LadyTam-tam’s eyes had taken on that greedy sparkle again. “You must either allowyour slave to penetrate you and come deep in your pussy, or you must penetratehim with the heart’s blood phallus and cause him to spill his seed that way.”

Thrace felt sick.

“The Hell she will!” he growled,glaring at the older female. “Why would my mistress agree to either of thoseoptions? One is strictly against her beliefs and the other is…”

“Something I swore I would neverdo.” Trin looked up at him, her dark eyes troubled. “Thrace and I have discussed thisalready. Despite any…feelings that have grown within us as we played our parts,neither of us wishes to be penetrated by the other—it’s not going to happen.”

“Oh yes it is—if you want tosell those Jaxite crystals of yoursand get out of debt,” Lady Tam-tam snapped.

Trin crossed her arms over her chest.

“Some things aren’t for sale,Lady Tam-tam. I don’t know how but I’ll manage even if I can’t sell thecrystals.”

“Is that right?” The olderfemale’s eyes flashed fire. “And what if it wasn’t just the crystals at stake?What if it was your pride—your very life and reputation back on Zetta Prime?”

“What do you mean?” Trin’s eyeswere wide.