Part 9 (1/2)

78.

eXtasy's Collective Mind ”Yes, my lord,” Vanessa intoned obediently. Then she stood on tiptoe and placed a kiss on his hard cheek. ”You have given me more pleasure than I ever could have imagined. Thank you for the tenderness you've shown and for caring enough to want to protect me. I am your captive but I will follow you willingly to the far corners of the earth.”

79.

Violet Visions LORELEI.

By Astrid Cooper am your dream, your desire, your pa.s.sion-what is it you I want of me? Name it. I can do it-be all things for you. What is your darkest desire?

The song whispered into his mind, teasing, curling, exploring places that he never knew existed. The voice...a woman's voice...gentle, lilting, tormenting.

Reilly groaned and thrashed on the bed, hitting his head against the metal frame. He saw stars and when he opened his eyes he still saw stars-through the porthole.

He ran a hand through his hair and flung himself back against the mattress, frustrated, tired, and p.i.s.sed off.

Planetfall in three days' time, after a mission lasting eighteen months. Some men might have gone s.p.a.ce-happy, but not Reilly Estovan. He put that down to a mix of good luck and Spanish genes.

But he knew he was on the edge-knew it by the way he woke up every morning in a sweat, his c.o.c.k rigid and pressing 80 eXtasy's Collective Mind painfully against his gut.

He had been too long without a woman. G.o.dd.a.m.n it!

Eighteen months, too long. He'd used the holo-deck and his own trusty hands and fingers, but it was no compensation for the real thing, even if some of his s.p.a.cer friends insisted that a holo-f.u.c.k was better than any woman. Yeah, right!

Reilly swung himself up from the bunk, his bare feet hitting the warmed metal floor.

The laser shower took away the last of his night-sweat, but his c.o.c.k was thick, rampant, demanding attention.

He flung himself into his chair, facing the monitor and console and tapped in the codes with one hand while sipping a thick black coffee from the mug in his right hand.

A message s.h.i.+mmered over the screen, the purple letters, cursive script and gossamer-fine, I am your dream, your desire, your pa.s.sion-what is it you want of me?

Reilly choked as the coffee went down the wrong way.

He put the mug on the desk and leaned forward, peering at the message that repeated itself over and over on the screen in all shades of purple...

He slipped the com-link onto his head and felt a moment of dizziness as he telepathically connected with the communications port.

Who are you?

I am anything you wish, all you desire. I ca n be your darkest desire.

Reilly smiled. The mind-voice was sultry, husky and female.

Where are you?

Nearby.

Do you have a name?

Choose a name for me.

Carmen.

81.

Violet Visions Reilly frowned at the name repeated on the screen, again in purple script.

Carmen? Where'n'h.e.l.l had that come from? He smiled ruefully. Carmen and all the connotations that the name conveyed. Carmen the wh.o.r.e, Carmen the betraying lover.

I am Carmen for you.

What do you want?

That is not important, it is what you want that is. You have dreamed about me. I am here-come to me.

Lady...

I am no lady.

Reilly laughed at that. At least she-or it-was honest. He was intrigued.

How do I find you?

These are the co-ordinates. And this is what I will do to you when you and I meet in the flesh.

He stared at the vision, his mouth dry, his throat tight, every muscle in his body taut with expectation, desire. No, she wasn't Carmen, but another name, a creature from legend...

”Lorelei,” he whispered, as he stared at her image.

Lorelei-the siren. A woman of the stellar sea. She sat in an oval frame, like a sh.e.l.l, with antennae like anemone waving around her. She was purple, from head to heels-eyes, lips, hair. Naked, purple skin glistened in the soft light. Her legs and feet strategically placed so that they concealed intimate flesh, but hinting, teasing with what lay hidden from his gaze.