“Oh, no straps are needed, mylady,” the slave answered. “Once the heart’s blood end of the shaft is insertedinto your…ahem…womanhood, it remainsin place no matter how, ah vigorous youractivity, until you choose to remove it. It’s intuitive, do you see? That’swhat makes it so rare and valuable. Oh—and the bumps on the central disk arepleasure-givers. They’ll stimulate your outerareas Your…ahem…love button so tospeak.”
Through all his chatter, only afew words had made it through to Trin’s brain.
“Inserted into my…womanhood? This?”She stared at the thick, blood-red shaft curving from the bumpy golden disk.
“Well…yes, my lady.” The slavelooked perplexed. “That’s how you wear it. Haven’t you ever worn a phallusbefore?”
“I…I don’t…” Trin was almostspeechless.
“My lady doesn’t need this.” Thracetook the strange device from her and dropped it into the slave’s hands.
“Oh yes she does,” the slavecountered, trying to hand it back. “If she wants to be properly dressed andadmitted to the feast tonight. No mistress will be allowed in without one, Ican promise you that.”
“Very well,” Thrace growled. “Then give us the smallestyou’ve got.”
“The smallest?” The slave looked as though he couldn’t believe it. “Butyou know, the heart’s blood stone is so valuable.Most mistresses are choosing to take an even larger size than they normallywould just so they can have a more costly souvenir to take home.”
“I don’t give a goodGoddess-damn about any of that,” Thrace snapped. “Give me the smallestyou’ve got now.”
The slave shrugged his narrowshoulders.
“As you wish.”
He put the huge double endedphallus back into its black velvet bag carefully and then reached for one onthe other end of the table. It came in a light blue bag and when he pulled itout, the heart’s blood end was a bit shorter and much more slender. This one,Trin estimated numbly, was barely as big as two of her fingers put together.
“Here you go.” He tried to handit to Trin but she stepped back from the table, her hands behind her back.Shrugging again, he gave it to Thraceinstead. “Good feasting, my lady,” he told her. “And if you wish to break inyour new phallus, may I suggest you do that soon. The festivities begin earlytonight.”
Chapter Twenty-three
“Goddess…” Trin paced around thevast room, her hands still clutched behind her back. Thrace sat on the sleepingplatform, the light blue velvet bag held loosely in one large hand and watchedher. He couldn’t recall ever seeing her so agitated.
“Mistress?” he asked, concernedat the wild look in her eyes. “Trin?”
“I can’t…” She paced back andforth, her long scarlet dress rustling as she moved. “I can’t.”
“I understand,” Thracesaid gently. Honestly, he had expected nothing else. She’d been raised in areligion built around being unpenetrated—unsullied by allowing herself to befilled. It wasn’t surprising that the teachings of her childhood still had avast influence on her—Thracestill remembered the things his own Sire had taught him so many years ago.
“But if I don’t do it…” Shestopped pacing for a moment and looked down at her hands. “If I don’t wear it,I’ll never sell those damn crystals. I won’t be able to make the last paymenton The Alacrity…or pay my crew…or buyenough fuel to do another mission. If I don’t wear it, I’m screwed—figurativelyspeaking.” She gave a jagged laugh that worried Thrace even more. “And if I do wear it I’m literally screwed. Looks like I’m screwed either way.”
“Come here.” He laid down theblue velvet bag on the bed and reached out a hand to her. “Come here and let’stalk about it.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”But she came to him anyway.
“We’ll find a way to make itwork.” Thracetook her small hands in his—she was cold, he noticed—probably with shock. Herubbed her hands gently, trying to warm her up. “We have enough fuel to make itto the nearest station. I can get some work there—I’m a hell of a mechanic whenI have to be. We’ll earn enough eventually.”
Trin gave that bitter laughagain.
“Eventually. But the payment on TheAlacrity is already past due and the interest is mounting up.” She sighed.“I guess I could ask my mother for credit…but I don’t want to do that. I’venever borrowed from anyone. I make my own way.”
“I respect that about you,” Thracesaid evenly. “All right, so let’s talk about the other way. Tell me about yourreligion. Do you believe you’ll be damned for all eternity if you allowyourself to be penetrated?”
“Well…no.” Trin shook her head.“No, it’s not like that exactly.Really, if you go by the letter of the law it says that only allowing yourselfto be penetrated by a male’s shaft is blasphemy—an affront to the Goddessherself.”
“What about being penetrated inother ways? With other objects or…” Thrace cleared his throat. “Otherbody parts?”
“What…you mean like…fingers?”Trin’s creamy cheeks went dark with a blush.
“Or the phallus.” He nodded atthe blue velvet bag where the hated implement rested. “Is that forbidden?”
“Well…not forbidden per say but if it happened—if I woreit—I could certainly no longer call myself one of the Unpenetrated.”
“And how important is that toyou?” Thraceasked. He wanted to know for his own curiosity too—not just the situation athand. “How does it affect your life? Is there some kind of grand parade orcelebration back home on Zetta Prime where all the Unpenetrated get to marchdown the street waving flags or something?”
“No, of course not.” Trin gave astartled little laugh and he was glad to see the agitation fading from her darkeyes. “Nothing like that—it’s private. I mean it’s just…it’s between you andthe Goddess.”
“And do you believe the Goddesswould never forgive you if you lost your status as one of the Unpenetrated?” Thraceasked.
“Well…I mean, it’s not like alldaughters of Zetta Prime are called to it…” Trin hesitated, nibbling her lowerlip in a way Thracefound distractingly erotic. “Most of them pair up with another female and theypenetrate each other with long silver rods for sexual pleasure. If they want to—it’s not required or anything.Some of them prefer…other forms of stimulation.”
“So most the females who pairup, they’re not Unpenetrated and theGoddess of Judgment still loves them, right?” Thrace asked.
Slowly, she nodded. “Well…yes. Imean, she doesn’t really love anyone.It’s more like…she approves of you.”
“So if wearing the phallus won’tdamn you to the Seven Hells and no one back home will ever know about it, thenwhy not just wear the damn thing?” Thrace asked reasonably. “I mean,it’s only for one evening, right?”
“I suppose…” Trin bit her lipagain. “It’s just…”
“Just what?” he said gently.
“Just that…Goddess, I feel likesuch an idiot saying this.” She sighed and ran a hand through her long, darkhair. “It’s just that what if it hurts? Imean, I’ve never had anything up there before. The daughters of Zetta primedon’t have any kind of barrier—what they call a maidenhead—like they do in somespecies. But still, we’re very tightand my entire life I’ve been taught I should never put anything up there and I just…” She sighed and sank down on the bedbeside him. “I guess I’m afraid. Stupid, huh?”
“Well, coming from the femalewho was brave enough to walk into the Demon’s Eye by herself…” Thracebegan.
“Like I said, stupid.”
“No. Uncertain. Cautious. And there’s nothing wrong withthat.” He took her hand again and laced their fingers together. “What if I toldyou I could help you wear it without pain? That I could put it into you andgive you nothing but pleasure, no matter how tight you are?”