The Black Hole Market hadn’t changed at all since the last time we were here. The clamor of tradesman and shop keepers trying to make a credit or two, the competing smells of the food and body odors and the occasional skimpy clad person enticing travelers to the local brothels.

But this time, Jax and I weren’t here to steal anything.

Instead, we were introducing ourselves to some of the factions as the new King and Queen of the Titus Pirate Federation.

Teneras had taken the Augustine throne days after our mission on Daedalus Five. There had been only one challenger, and she dispatched him with alarming speed and ruthlessness. She was crowned immediately and announced that we’d be taking over Titus. After all the in fighting I’d witnessed between the federations, I was sure there would be a challenger or some grumbling but that wasn’t the case. We took over within hours, and a week later, all the captains of the Titus fleet had pledged fealty.

Now, we were on what old Earth monarchs would call a ‘progress’. Making nice with the different cartels and factions that kept the sectors of the outer rim running smoothly. Much to my shock, the pirates didn’t really have territory, per se. It was more a delicate game of theft and mutual interest. The names and alliances between the cartels, factions and pirates was the most complicated venn diagram I’d ever seen, and I wasn’t close to figuring it all out.

Jax, however, had settled right into things, arranging meetings, reinforcing alliances and punishing the few who had been undermining Teneras when she’d been in charge. We’d hardly had any time to ourselves since taking over, and so while we were down here, Jax and I had decided to take a little holiday.

Yesterday we saw a Gorsh drama, which was exactly like Jax had described it. There was the poetry and drama of a Shakespeare tragedy with the no holds barred physical violence of a gladiator match. The play changed every day depending on who won the match and apparently there had been several deaths with this latest one. I didn’t mind a good boxing match or even a cage fight, but this had been a bit too bloody for my taste.

Afterward we had toured the market and even though I hadn’t thought it possible, I managed to have quite the voracious appetite. We sampled as many alien delicacies as I could stuff in my belly and even then we had barely managed to try a quarter of what was offered. Shop owners and those that were in charge of the stalls gave us gifts of fabrics, clothing, weapons, and jewelry. A few tried to give us animals as well, but I drew the line. There was no way I was having a menagerie inside of Lorac.

We spent the night and most of today inside, resting and managing a flood of messages from the captains and their mates. Along with alerts about the K’Tavi and what the GUP were currently planning. I had no idea that Teneras had such an extensive spy network.

Or rather, we have a spy network, I guess.

Tonight, Jax had planned something special for us, something he promised would take our minds off our new positions for a little while. I slipped into the red halter dress he’d bought for me, and the black heels just as he exited the bathroom. My eyes slowly devoured him, my breath stolen as I once again couldn’t believe that this beautiful male was mine.

All mine.

“And mine. Yum.”

Jax wore a pair of black leather pants with a button-up shirt that was only done up half way. The sleeves were rolled up, revealing his tattoo, which neither of us hid anymore. His hair had started to grow out of the short Gex-Corps standard cut and I had to admit that I liked how he looked with it longer.

But the thing I couldn’t stop looking at, that my thong damp in seconds, was the beautiful black leather collar around his throat.

“I can guess what we’re doing,” I purred at him.

He chuckled and took my hips in his hands, kneading the flesh as my fingernails raked up his chest.

“I thought since we never got to play in a public club that it might be nice to do that together tonight.”

I arched an eyebrow and pulled on the ring at the center of the collar. When he was close to my lips, I nipped his full bottom lip and sucked it into my mouth right before he consumed my lips with his.

“Is that a yes?” he breathed.

“It’s a hell yes. I’m just missing…”

Jax produced a thin black and silver chain from his pocket. It looked delicate but some good heft to it, and there was a round end that fit snuggly around my hand. On the end that connected to the collar was a simple silver ‘T’. A streak of blazing possessiveness took me over when I saw it, and I let out a little growl.

“Does my Mistress see something she likes?” he asked.

“She does. Such a good boy to make sure everyone knows who you belong to.”

His eyes went hazy, half lidded, and he fell to his knees as I connected the end of the leash to his collar. It was so easy to slip into these roles. There was no fear that he’d try to take advantage, no worries that I was going to do something out of bounds. Even though we hadn’t been together all that long, I felt as if we’d known each other intimately for years.

“You’re so pretty on your knees for me,” I rasped. “I love it.”

“And I love you.”

My heart softened and a gentle warmth spread through me. Jax looked at me as if I were the most precious thing in the entire universe, as he was to me.

The mask of being his mistress slipped a bit, and I wound my arms around his neck. Even on his knees, Jax with me in heels was nearly as tall as me so I barely had to bend down to skate my lips across his. What started as a light kiss soon became fiery, our teeth and tongues clashing.

“If we don’t leave soon, I’m going to tear this dress off you,” Jax warned, his teeth at my jaw.

“Then we’d better get to it.”

He groaned as I stepped back, his lips swollen and eyes bright.

“Come on, pet,” I said with a feral grin, crooking my finger at him. “We’ve got some playing to do.”

******************************************************************************

Jax had rented a droid operated rickshaw for us, the canopy a bright orange and the seats scented with spices of the food market. It was fast and thrilling as we sped down the street. Darkened stalls sat like sentinels, the lack of life inside of them made up for by the laughter and music spilling out of the buildings on the street that had come alive during the artificial night.

We stopped at a relatively small and newer looking building with blue and gold lettering on the front that I couldn’t read. The sides were painted in oranges and the door was red with a beefy guard outside. Jax instructed the droid to stand by for us so it could take us back, and it trotted away to await the end of our evening.

Unlike the other clubs we’d passed, this one was quiet, the barest hint of light illuminating the windows at the front, but there was no way to see inside with the thick curtains. Jax whispered a message to the guard, who waved us forward and through the red door. The scent of incense hit me, woodsy and thick. To the left was a tiny room where a statue sat, bronze and large with multiple eyes and arms. At the base of it were several incense sticks and offerings of fruits and coins. Just on the other side of that was a beaded curtain that parted, revealing a woman with white hair and a tight, fitted black jacket that flared at her hips before falling to the floor. Her thin legs were clad in tight black pants and red heels were on her feet. She was very tall and her skin had a translucent look to it that hid her age.

“We have a reservation,” Jax said.

“Of course, the new King and Queen of the Titus Pirate Federation,” she inclined her head to us, “we are honored to host you. Would you like to go directly to your private room or stop by the public play space for a drink first?”

Jax bowed his head, slipping effortlessly into his role as my sub. I twined the leash around my hand and the woman’s bright eyes immediately latched onto me without missing a beat.

“We’ll go to the public room for a drink first.”

“Very good, this way.”

Jax followed behind me, the leash loose in my fingers. I doubted being the one in control of a huge, powerful male like him would ever get old. It always made me feel like I was ten feet tall, capable of anything. It also filled me with a sense of awe that he’d trust me like this, that he was willing to put himself in this position.

We followed the owner of the club down a simple hallway with low lighting until we came to heavy black double doors. She opened them and ushered us over the threshold into a huge, round room. From the outside, this building didn’t appear all that large, so I was shocked to find a space like this inside. In the very center was a stage for public play. Booths surrounded it in rows five deep. Then there were the toys around the walls of the space.

Spanking benches, Saint Andrews’ Crosses, stocks, fucking couches along with a wide array of floggers and binding choices. It was like a grown up candy store and I couldn’t hide my delight.

“Please keep in mind,” the owner said as she escorted us to a small booth, “we have surveillance equipment here for safety purposes. But the private rooms are just that, private. His Highness assured me that the two of your were committed and experienced, but if anything should happen, know that my staff are completely trustworthy and will assist you.”

We both nodded.

“Enjoy your time.”

I settled onto the black bench of the booth and pointed at my feet, where Jax knelt staring up at me adoringly.

“You please me choosing this for us tonight,” I crooned, running my fingers along his horn.

“Thank you Mistress,” he nuzzled my thigh, which was bare thanks to the way the dress’ slit opened when I sat.

After a moment, he rested his head on my leg as we both took in the scene before us.

On the stage, a slight woman was being fucked anally by a large Talosian while she gave oral to a woman strapped to a chair. It wasn’t even the most erotic thing happening around us as people enjoyed themselves with a freedom I had once thought was beyond me. But here I was, no shame in the scars on my body, with a mate that I loved.

I kept my fingers in Jax’s hair and on his horn as we watched the threesome finish up on the stage. The anticipation was making me wet, and if the bulge in Jax’s pants was any indication, he was just as wound up imagining what we could do as I was.

“Do you have any limits tonight?” I asked, as the staff cleaned up the stage.

“No, I don’t think so.”

I bit my lip as a thought took hold. I’d never had the guts to do a public scene before, not with my back the way it had been. But tonight, with Jax? It just might be what I wanted.

“Would you be comfortable doing something up there?” I nodded to the stage.

His eyebrows winged up, and he glanced over.

“I…well I never thought you would, but…yeah.”

“You don’t sound sure.”

“I’ve done some things in front of friends, but never on a stage. It’s just new.”

“I’ve never done anything in front of others, but I think I’d like to try it with you.”

His eyes lit with a fire before he ducked his head submissively.

“I’d like to worship you in front of everyone very much, Mistress.”

The way he said it, as if it he were dying of thirst and I was the only thing that could save him.

My clit throbbed, and I had to stop myself from rubbing my thighs together to alleviate anything. I wanted Jax to do that for me, and I hoped I could hold out long enough to do more than force his mouth to my pussy.

“Safe word?”

“Nova.”

I stood in a fluid motion, my dress flowing around my legs. I only wore a thong underneath, and the caress of the soft fabric on my stiff nipples was a sweet torture. It made me realize what I wanted to start the scene with Jax.

“Take off your shirt.”

He did, several buttons popping off.

“And your pants.”

He didn’t even hesitate to kick off his shoes and pants, showing a pair of tight black briefs underneath, the waist band in the front bulging away from his stomach because of his extruded cock. I bit my bottom lip, seeing the outline of his knot and remembering the wonderful stretch of it. I’d do that in the private room so we could cuddle after, for here, I’d do something else.

“So eager for your scene,” I said, pitching my voice a little lower. “Crawl to the stage behind me. When you get there, kneel hands on your thighs and wait for me.”

“Of course Mistress.”

The stage was cleaned, a tall chair in the center sat there waiting for us. There were staff on the edges of the stage, holding different implements: butt plugs, cuffs, floggers, ball gags, candles.

As we ascended the short stairs, I felt everyone’s eyes, the hushed in take of breath as we climbed. It made the five steps seem to take forever to climb. The anticipation of at least fifty sets of eyes pressed on me, their arousal stoking mine.

I led Jax to just in front of the chair and bent down, taking his face in my hand and squeezing.

“Good boy,” I whispered.

I crushed my lips to his, needing this to anchor both of us, to remind us that in spite of all the eyes on us, this was about the two of us, no one else.

“I love you,” I said, so low I almost didn’t hear myself.

“I love you too,” he replied. “Do you need a safe word too?”

I stopped at that. The care he showed me caused me to kiss him once again, slower this time.

“No, but thank you, my love.”

He nodded before settling his butt on his heels, huge hands on his equally thick thighs, head down as he waited for me.

I unhooked the leash and draped it over one arm of the chair before I walked to the edge of the stage and took my time selecting what I wanted.

Jax liked pain. I’d discovered that a week ago when he’d asked me to spank him. He preferred the paddle for that and I had to admit I did too, but that didn’t feel quite right tonight.

Then I saw the candle, and I nodded at the staffer holding it. He handed it to me lit, a subtle hint of something like lavender in the wax. Then I motioned to the one holding the blind fold and the rope.

The staff did all this without saying a word and it hit me that I didn’t hear anyone on the edges of the room playing anymore. They had either stopped to watch us or had gone on to do private play. We were suddenly the main attraction, and it made butterflies explode in my stomach.

I took some calming breaths as I made a little show of examining the rope. I liked shibari when it was done right, and the thought of seeing the knots on Jax’s powerful, sexy body had arousal dripping down my thighs already.

“I’m going to tie you up,” I whispered into his ear. “If it’s ever too much, just use your safe word.”

“Yes Mistress,” his voice had a shudder in it, but I knew it was excitement and a tinge of appropriate fear.

I grinned, running my finger nails across his shoulders before taking his arms and putting them behind his back. I took my time tying the knots across his chest, looping the rope down until it ran along the outline of his cock, which was leaking pre-cum so badly that there was a large wet spot on the front of his underwear.

Last, I slid the blind fold into place and he gasped, body trembling.

“Are you alright?” I asked, testing the ropes to make sure none were too tight.

“Y-yes Mistress.”

“Jax, do you want to use your safe word?”

“No…no, I…I just want you so much and this is intense.”

I knelt in front of him and placed a kiss to each pierced nipple, tugging just a little on the barbells. He hissed in a breath and the movement caused the ropes on either side of his cock to rub, which made him squirm again.

“You are safe with me,” I whispered as I massaged his chest around the ropes.

“Yes Mistress.”

“And if you’re good, you can fuck me any way you want when we’re done.”

“Thank you…I-I just want to please you.”

I grinned at him as I got to my feet even though he couldn’t see it.

“I know, you’re a very good pet,” I purred with a nip at his sensitive ear lobe.

I took a moment to appreciate my work and walked around him. He could hear my foot fall, his head turning a bit as I made my way all around the stage. I had been able to shut out the eyes as I had focused on tying the ropes, and now they were just phantoms in the dark, not my concern. The noises of a few of them getting off, playing reached me, but it didn’t make a difference. I had eyes for Jax alone.

“You’re so beautiful,” I said, picking up the candle and coming to stand behind him. “All tied up like a present just for me.”

“Yes-ah!”

He gasped and hissed as the hot wax hit his chest. His movement made the ropes stimulate his cock again, and he grunted at the dueling sensations of pain from the wax and pleasure from the ropes. The veins on his neck stuck out, his head tilted back and mouth open as he panted.

I dripped the wax slowly, letting up for a moment and then doing it again, on his thighs this time. The wax trailed up to the edge of his underwear and he shifted, hips thrusting.

“You like that?” I asked with a dark chuckle.

“Yes…Mistress,” he groaned.

“I do too. I’m so wet watching you squirm. But I haven’t heard you beg, so you must not want me very badly.”

“Please…Please Mistress, I do. I want to fuck you so badly.”

“How badly, little pet?”

“I’ll do anything.”

“Anything, really?”

“Yes, just please…”

“If you could fuck me, what would you want me to do to you?”

“Suck my cock, please Mistress.”

“Hmmm….” I flicked some dried wax off his chest and he took a sharp inhale. “I might do that in front of everyone. Do you think they’d like that?”

“I…Yes.”

“I do too. But I come first, sweet pet, not you.”

“Tell me what you want. I’ll do it.”

He was practically crying now, and it had me dizzy with power, not to mention horny as fuck. I scooted the chair closer to him and pulled my skirts up around my waist. He was so close to me now that he was able to nuzzle my bare thigh, rooting around in a blind attempt to find my weeping slit.

I hooked one leg over the arm of the chair and guided his head to my center, pulling the thong to the side with the other hand.

The fact that he couldn’t see, couldn’t touch me, was completely helpless but so desperate to eat me made this a hundred times hotter than all the other times Jax had done this to me. His mouth sucked and licked sloppily on my thighs and around the sides of my vulva until I parted myself with my fingers of one hand while adjusting him by his horn.

“Right there,” I said with a fevered whisper, my head falling back against the chair.

Distantly, I was aware of the audience starting to find their own pleasure, the slapping of flesh, the cries of pain and pleasure entwined. But none of it mattered. A bomb could’ve gone off and I would’ve ignored it. Jax had always had a gift for this, but the way he went at my cunt was something altogether new.

He was feral, starving, as he lapped and sucked up my juices. I started to grind against his mouth, my cries rising above the sounds of other couples. I didn’t care how loud I screamed, how much I keened. I couldn’t hold myself back any more than Jax could. When fire burst behind my eyes, my blood igniting seconds before my body tensed, toes curling. The orgasm went on and on as Jax continued to abrade my pussy with his teeth and lips. I didn’t know if it was the same orgasm or a new one on the heels of the first, but I swear I saw stars on the ceiling and my body shook uncontrollably.

When I gripped both of his horns and pulled him away from me, his face shone with my release, his lips red. The ropes had rubbed his chest as he had strained against them, panting breaths escaped his mouth in puffs.

I pressed my mouth to his in a breathless kiss, tasting myself on him.

“Are you…pleased?” he gasped.

“So very, very pleased,” I said, my voice broken. “Do you want your reward here or in our room?’

“Here please, I can’t wait…Please Mistress, let me feel you.”

I slid the blind fold off and Jax squinted at first. Then his eyes fell on my pussy, wet from his mouth and my orgasms. He groaned and dove, giving me a long lick before sitting up.

I kicked the chair back and knelt down in front of Jax. His underwear was soaked and when I pulled it down in front, his long, ribbed cock was drenched in his pre cum. I liked him clean like an ice cream cone while I groaned and bucked. I was as hungry for his cock as he was for me to take it so I took him down fast, sucking hard.

He gave a shout, and I looked up to see his head thrown back, the knots of the ropes gorgeously standing out on flushed blue skin. I worked him with my mouth and hand, knowing he wasn’t going to last long. I’d only taken him to the back of my throat twice when his cock twitched and he was spilling salty come into my mouth. I gulped it down greedily while he cried and thrust his hips through the release.

When he was done, my mouth came off his phallus with a wet pop, and I planted one last kiss on the tip before sitting up.

We stared at one another in shock and awe at what we’d just done, the surrounding people oblivious to the love flowing between us.

“I love you,” I said, as I started untying him.

“Ancestors…I…that was…fuck Thanh, I love you. I love you so much.”

My hands shook as I finished undoing the ropes, botching a few of the knots and needing a knife to cut them loose. When he was finally free, Jax grabbed me to him and kissed me hard, his tongue taking possession of my mouth while his hands gripped my ass.

“Room…I need you again,” he breathed against my mouth.

But when he got up, he had to stumble to the chair for a moment. A staff member handed me a bottle of water and I made Jax drink while they cleared away the toys we’d used.

“You need after care first,” I said, caressing his cheek.

“Yeah…I think you’re right. Good thing we have the room for the night.”

I giggled.

“You are the perfect mate, Jax Vabaris.”

“I was thinking the same thing about you, Thanh Nguyen.”

I leaned in close and whispered in his ear, “Vabaris. I choose your family. Mine can go fuck itself.”

“But it’s not my real name,” he said, purple eyes boring into mine.

“It is because you chose it. And I choose it too. We’re in this together, and I’m yours. Hope you’re ready for that.”

“I don’t know what to say except, fuck yes,” he took a few more sips from the water bottle before getting to his feet.

As we followed another staffer out of the public room and down a red hallway to our room, a deep truth burst inside of me and tears burned behind my eyes.

Being a Queen was pretty cool, and being the galaxy’s best pilot didn’t suck. But none of it compared to truly belonging somewhere and being Jax Vabaris’ mate.