“So beautiful,” Thrace murmured in her ear as hecupped her naked mound with one large hand. “So fucking gorgeous, baby.”

“I…I told you before, I’m not your baby. I’m yourmistress,” Trin whispered breathlessly.

“You’re my mistress when you command me and whenwe’re out in public with everyone watching,” he murmured. “But when it’s justthe two of us and I’m taking care of you, you’re baby. My sweet, softbaby girl that I want to pleasure and take care of and serve. Want to make youfeel so good you can’t stand it…want to hear you moan my name and beg me formore as you come and come…”

“Thrace,”she objected, wiggling uncomfortably. “That’s…I can’t describe how that makesme feel but…but we never said anything about me, uh, coming. In fact, Idon’t…don’t think it would be a good idea.”

“You don’t want to come?” As he spoke, he spreadher outer pussy lips with his index and ring fingers. She gasped as the heatedwater rushed in to caress her clit. And then slowly, gently, his long middlefinger slipped into her wet folds and began to stroke. “You sure about that,baby?”

“Oh!” Trin threw back her head, resting it againsthis broad shoulder as he continued to caress her with the lightest touchimaginable, tracing her throbbing clit again and again in slow, tender strokes.For some reason the pleasure he was giving her seemed to make her breasts acheand throb, a sharp sensation that was almost painful in his pleasurableintensity.

“Tell me again how you don’t want to come, Mistress,”Thracegrowled softly in her ear. “Is it because you don’t really want a male touchingyou? Because you can’t admit that a male could bring you pleasure?”

“I…you know it’s not…not that,” Trin gasped,although to tell the truth, that was certainly part of it. But there wasanother, deeper reason she didn’t want Thrace to give her the ultimatepleasure. Trin was afraid if she gave him her body, if she trusted him socompletely that she let him make her come, she might lose her heart aswell—well, at least part of it. “I can’t,” she gasped as the sweettorture went on and on. “I…I shouldn’t…”

“Shouldn’t do what?” he murmured. “Shouldn’t spreadyour legs and let me finger your pussy? Shouldn’t let me pet your soft littleclit until you come in my hand?”

“Thrace,”she begged. “Thraceplease, I think…think we should stop.”

But this time she wasn’t just asking out of fear—ornot fear for her heart. As he touched her, her breasts and nipples had beenfeeling more and more full and sensitive. Now they felt so ripe—Trin couldn’tthink of any other word that fit—she felt like she might burst.

“Something’s wrong,” she gasped, closing her legsand sitting up. “What’s wrong with me?”

“I think you were just about to come,” he saiddryly, withdrawing his hand. “Nothing wrong with that.”

“No, it’s not…that’s not where the problem is. It’smy…” Trin looked down at her chest and gave a frightened gasp. “Oh my Goddess,what’s wrong with me?”

Her breasts were clearly bigger than they hadbeen—but that wasn’t what made her so frightened. Her nipples, which normallywent berry dark when she was aroused, were now a dark, angry red.

“What…what is wrong with me?” she whispered,horrified and scared to death. “What’s happening to me?”

Thrace reached out a finger and gently stroked onescarlet-tipped nipple, sending a wave of intense sensation through her entirebody.

Trin gasped. “Oh!”

“Beautiful,” he said thoughtfully. “And obviouslyvery sensitive.”

“But what’s causing it?” Trin was nearlycrying now. Not only was she scared but her breasts seemed to be getting fullerby the moment—they actually ached and her nipples were so red and sensitiveshe felt that even the lightest touch was too much to bear.

“I don’t know, but we’re going to find out.” Thracegot up and went over to the viewscreen mounted on the wall across from the tubwhich still glowed a soft blue. With a few gestures he had called up alightboard which projected from the bottom of the viewscreen onto the counterbelow. Trin watched as he began to key her symptoms into a search engine butbefore he could finish typing, a block of text and some images suddenlyappeared on the screen.

Thrace scanned them rapidly, frowning all the time. Trinwas too far away to see.

“What? What does it say?” she demanded in a shakingvoice.

“Hmm…remember the schromp we ate at dinner?And how Lady Tam-tam and Lady Needra both told us we’d have interesting effectsfrom it?”

“Oh my Goddess…I’d forgotten all about that!” Trinfelt sick. “How could they let us eat that and not warn us!”

“Are you kidding?” Thrace threw a look over hisshoulder. “Look where we are.”

“You’re right.” Trin put a hand to her forehead.“They probably wanted this to happen.”

“Wouldn’t be surprised.” Thrace was still scanning rapidly.“According to this, the nectar pods and the schromp cause a reaction inthe female body but it’s not activated until she’s submerged in hot water. Theheat from the water acts as a catalyst and causes her nipples to becomeextremely sensitive—as sensitive as her clit.”

“They’re sensitive all right.” Trin gave a shakylaugh which was more than half sob as she looked down at her swollen scarletnipples. “What can we do about it? Will it help for me to get out of the tub?”

“Can’t hurt.” Thrace came over and opened a towelfor her—a big, fuzzy, white one made of incredibly soft, absorbent material. Itwas almost as large as a blanket. Trin stepped out of the bath and he wrappedher up in it. She dried off immediately and as completely as she could, thenshe looked down at her chest where her breasts were as full as ever—maybefuller.

“This isn’t helping. And ouch!” She had tounwrap the towel and pull it down to her waist to bare her chest. “It’s toorough,” she gasped. Even though the fabric felt as soft as feathers to herfingers, it was like sandpaper to the sensitive tips of her breasts.

“Is it painful?” Thrace looked concerned. “Are youhurting, baby?”

“I…I’m okay,” Trin said uneasily, which wasn’texactly true. Her breasts still felt ripe to the point of bursting and hernipples were tight scarlet points that ached with some need she couldn’t name.“That article you found—” she began.

“You mean the one that was sent to me. Tous,” Thracecorrected her grimly. “It popped up before I even finished typing. Someone knewwe were going to need this information. I think we can both guess who.”

LadyTam-tam. Trin clenched her jaw and balled herhands into fists. Earlier when Thracehad been talking about how their hostess was probably lonely and missing herlove-slave, she had felt almost sorry for the old lady. Well, no more—Trin wasangry! How could anyone let this happen to a total stranger without giving themso much as a warning? Probably the same way she could insist that we try thered dream gas that made us nearly jump each other without warning us, shethought grimly.

“Okay.” She took a deep breath and tried to remaincalm. “In the article that was sent to us, does it say what to do aboutthis? Is there some kind of antidote?”

“There is but you’re not going to be happy aboutit.”

“What? Just tell me,” Trin demanded. Her breastsand nipples were aching more sharply with every second—she didn’t have time tobeat around the bush.

Thrace sighed. “Says here that a male who has alsoingested the same combination of pods and shromp has to help ease thepain in the female’s nipples.”

“Ease the pain? How—?”

“By sucking them,” he said flatly. When Trin bither lip he shook his head. “See? Told you that you wouldn’t like it.”

“I…but I can’t believe it.”

Thrace motioned her forward. “Come read it for yourself.Apparently it’s the only way you’ll get any relief.”

Trin moved over to the viewscreen and read the linehe was pointing to. “The only relief for a female whose breasts have filledwith need is as follows— A male who has eaten from the same batch of nectarpods and the same shromp must be found. He will have the essential compounds inhis saliva. By sucking her nipples vigorously until they return to their normalcolor, he may ease the ache and cure her completely. This must be done shortlyafter the symptoms appear or permanent damage may occur.”