Bound by Her Promise

“Several months. I grew used to it. Numb almost. But it got me here.”

“And now you intend to bribe me with fucks.” How could she not see how it hurt him?

“No!” She went white, swaying on her feet. “I always planned to tell you and have you agree to help me. I tried several times, but I was so tired. I need your cooperation, that’s all.” She knelt at his feet, gazing up and begged with her teary eyes. “Please, Blake. I will be a dutiful wife. All that you expected when you picked me. Don’t turn me away and send m

e back to Earth a failure. Let me prove it to you.”

Blake groaned in frustration. “I don’t know, Lysa…”

He shut his eyes, hiding her supplication, then opened them and looked at the computer screen. Striding past the kneeling Lysa, he stabbed his finger at the screen, activating it. Lysa sprung up, racing over to him. “Please, please, don’t turn me in.” She tugged at his arm and he shook her off.

Lysa sobbed.

“Enough!” He typed his request on the screen, cursing himself for being weak. “It will take a few hours to set up.”

She sniffed. “Set up? I don’t understand.”

“Our wedding.” He stared at the screen, his heart pounding in his chest. He might be making the biggest mistake of his life, but he couldn’t bear to see her in prison, probably undergoing a forced rehabilitation. She’d awoken something deep inside him and he wondered if the feeling was mutual. It was worth the risk.

“You… you’re going to marry me?” she stuttered.

He faced her, bringing her chin up and wiping away her tears with a thumb. “Yes. You will keep your promise to me, Lysa. I will take precedence to your studies. Do you understand?”

She nodded.

“Say it!”

She knelt again, pressing her face into his thighs. “I promise, sir.”

He drew her up, embraced her tight to his chest, then lowered his lips onto hers, tasting the salty residue of tears. Moving about her face, he kissed them all away—her cheeks, eyes and nose—all treated to his tender kisses. The computer bleeped behind him and he broke off.

“Well?” she asked, peering over his shoulder.

“The adjudicator will marry us in four hours.”

“Oh thank you, thank you,” she jiggled about on the spot, clapping her hands.

Her happiness was infectious and he swept her up into his arms. She pursed her lips.

“What?” he asked.

“What are we going to do for four hours?”

“You’re my sex fiend now, however, my batteries are still recharging.” He grinned. “Let me show you where those tomatoes and eggs come from.”

Chapter Four

Unlike the previous day, when he gripped her by the elbow, they walked hand in hand. Lysa swung her arm, unable to hide her glee. An hour earlier, she’d faced near disaster and the horror of returning to Earth and potential criminal charges. Now, she strolled next to Blake, listening to him hum under his breath and she couldn’t believe her fortune. She might have misjudged him, worried that his vigorous style of fucking painted him as a demanding, uncaring man.

Life was looking good again. She could relax and enjoy her stay on the Outer Rim.

They ambled past the central atrium of the colony complex and he showed her the social facilities. The bar, where customers consumed non-alcoholic beverages and the occasional party was held. The gym, with its separate facilities for men and women.

“No swimming pool. Sorry,” he added. He pointed in another direction. “This way to the shopping mall.”

A mall was hardly an adequate description. She counted four shops covering basic supplies, a drug store and a beautician’s salon.

“Run by the wives, for the wives,” explained Blake. “As for clothes, anything not stocked can be ordered in, although obviously it takes time to arrive. I’m issued with credits, more when we’re married and I can use these to order extra things. There is a quota though, but I’m happy for you to order in some dresses.”