Page 43 of His Little Sapphire

He chuckles. “You won’t hurt them. Even if you drop them.”

Papi reaches past me and picks one up. He opens my palm and sets it in my hand. “They look lovely against your skin. Do you like them?”

“I love them,” I whisper, “but I couldn’t wear them.” I shiver.

Papi chuckles. “Of course you can.”

I jerk my head back to look at him. “They’re too expensive, and they’d be too heavy.” I reach for my breasts and cover them, shuddering at the idea of those large stones hanging from my nipples. This can’t be happening.

Papi smiles. “We don’t use money the same way you do on Earth, Little one. We make trades. They aren’t too expensive. We don’t look at it that way. Ekert will get a fine piece of furniture from me. Or if he doesn’t need furniture, he might get a plumbing job from another man who needs furniture from me.”

I stare at him. I didn’t realize they had a barter system.

“They’re beautiful, Baby girl. I’d love to see them hanging from your nipples.” He pulls one of my hands away and cups my breast himself, thumbing my nipple before reaching for one of the stones and holding it up against my soft globe. “So pretty.”

I shake my head. “Too big.”

“They aren’t very heavy,” Ekert informs us. “You’ll feel the tug on your nipples at first, but you’ll get used to it.”

I stare at the stone against my nipple. I can’t believe this is happening. Suddenly, I turn in Papi’s arms and face him.

He squats down to be at eye level. “I need you to be brave, Little one.”

I lean in closer and whisper in his ear. “Just my nipples, right? You’re not going to pierce me anywhere else, right?”

He kisses my neck and meets my gaze. “Not today, Little one. Maybe someday, but today it’s all about your nipples.”

That’s a slight relief. Slight being the key word. “I’m scared, Papi.”

He rubs my back. “I know you are, but it will be over before you know it, and then you won’t have to fret about it any longer.”

I chew on my bottom lip. “Maybe smaller ones.”

He smiles. “I think this is the perfect pair. They caught your eyes and made you gasp.”

I glance at the stones sitting in his palm again. They seem gigantic.

Papi stands. “We’ll take them. Do you need some time to set them? Or can we get it done today?”

“I can set them quickly. No need to come back. It will take me about fifteen minutes,” Ekert says.

“Perfect. Chrissy needs to take a bottle anyway. Perhaps I could feed her while you work?” Papi asks.

“Of course.” Ekert lifts Sophie off the floor, swings her around, and deposits her in the playpen across from the glass cases. “On your bottom, Little one. Play nicely while I work.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Papi sweeps me into his arms too and before I know it, he’s sitting on the couch, cradling me close while he feeds me a bottle.

ChapterTwelve

Christine

I wish I had taken longer to eat because all too soon, I find myself in a second room across from the one with the stones. The focal point is a strange chair that looks like something in a dentist office but more elaborate.

I start to panic when Papi settles me on the seat. It’s high off the floor, but there’s no fear of me falling because Papi immediately pulls a strap across my waist while Ekert guides my arms above my head and restrains my wrists.

Eleadians are fond of restraints. As usual, I get embarrassingly aroused. I need to pee also. I pull my knees up, but Papi straightens them out in front of me, parted wide, and fastens my ankles to the far end of the chair.

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