Page 44 of Caught By Menace

“Boy, that’s no joke. I thought Menace was going to make me pass out last night.”

Hallie laughed. “Yeah, I’ve, uh, been there quite a few times.”

Naya knew enough about Hallie’s hometown to guess that she was probably a virgin when she’d come onboard theValiant. What a shock her first introduction to sex with her sky warrior must have been!

“Why don’t we go dig through my closet and see if we can find you some shoes?” Hallie gathered up their dishes. “The first pair Vicious brought me was too big, but I bet they’ll fit you just fine.”

Naya followed her out of the kitchen. Once in the spacious master bedroom, she couldn’t ignore the door to the couple’s playroom. Naya didn’t even want to imagine what a frightening man like Vicious did to poor Hallie in there.

Following her gaze, Hallie shot her an apologetic look. “I should probably warn you about the officers-only club. Menace will want to take you there.”

“A club?”

“It’s a place where officers and their wives and sometimes their single friends get together to play in public or the theme rooms.”

Naya’s gut clenched. “I’ll pass.”

“You might not be able to,” Hallie replied, her voice muffled as she stepped into the oversized closet. A moment later she reappeared with a pair of simple black flats. “These aren’t the most supportive shoes, but they’ll do until Menace can get you something else.”

Naya sat down on the bench at the end of Hallie’s massive bed and slipped on the shoes. “Why wouldn’t I be able to pass on the invite to the sex club thing?”

“Vicious and I had only been together a day when he came home with an invite to a private party given by General Thorn. I didn’t want to go. I was terrified, honestly, but I knew that if we didn’t go, Vicious might be snubbed by his superior. For officers, the promotion game is one that includes making appearances at a variety of functions. Vicious gave me the choice to say no, but I couldn’t do it.” Hallie sat down next to her.

“I ended up wearing a cat costume.”

“Wait. What? A cat costume?”

Hallie giggled and clasped her face in her hands. “I know. How ridiculous, right? General Thorn has a fetish for cat-play games. There are actually groups of couples who get together here on theValiantfor puppy-and-cat play parties.”

“I don’t understand.” Naya tried to process Hallie’s information. “You dress up like a cat or a puppy and pretend you’re one?”

“It’s a little more intense than that for couples who are really into it but, yes, basically,” Hallie said. “It doesn’t do anything for me but I know a few women who enjoy it very much. They findextreme pleasure in giving total control to their husbands, their masters.”

Naya shook her head and slipped on the shoes. “That’s batshit crazy, Hallie.”

“In this society, they believe everyone is entitled to their desires and their brand of kink. If you go to the officers’ playroom, you’ll probably see some strange things. Well…strange to women like you and me,” she clarified. “To these guys, it’s as normal as breathing to see a woman tied up, flogged and taken in public by her husband and his two best friends.”

Naya blinked a few times. She would never admit it aloud but there was something oddly alluring about Hallie’s description. “I don’t even know what to say to that.”

“To each their own, I guess.”

Naya took a few test strides in the shoes. They were a little roomy on the sides but they’d do. “Were you really angry when that party was over and Vicious brought you home?”

“No,” Hallie said, her face flushed. “Actually I found it all rather arousing there at the end. Vicious showed me that there’s no shame in exploring my sexuality. When I’m with him, when his hands are on me, I feel braver than ever and so incredibly secure.”

Naya understood that. “I felt that with Menace this morning. It was…uncomfortable.”

“I know what you mean,” Hallie assured her. “This mix of pleasure and pain and dominance is confusing. Even now, I sometimes have nights where I struggle with giving up control to Vicious, but when I do? He always rewards my trust.”

Naya caught the subtle emphasis Hallie used when she saidreward. Oh yeah. One night with Menace and Naya understood all about rewarding trust.

A chime interrupted their conversation. “What’s that?”

“The front door,” Hallie explained. “Have you used your control console yet?”

Naya shook her head and Hallie gestured for her to follow. In the entryway, Hallie showed her a big green screen. The wordvisitorflashed in white in the center.

“This alerts you when someone is at the door. You can tap this corner square to see who it is. If you don’t want to answer for some reason or you’re busy, your visitor will be able to leave you a vid-message that you can watch at another time.”