Ceremony

Off World: Ceremony

By Stephanie Vaughan

Doradus Station - 2133

“Take this card and go to 411 Miranda Street. They know what to do.”

Cal stood outside the business located at the address given on the card, gazing doubtfully up at the sign on the window. Flynn’s -- Custom-made.

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Great. Custom-made what? He didn’t get to this section of Doradus Station very often. This was only his second time there, as a matter of fact—the first time being an after-dinner stroll following an evening out for Sarhaan and him. Miranda Street was for people with money, credits to burn, and that wasn’t him. Not these days anyway. So why had Sarhaan sent him here? When he pushed the door open, an old-fashioned bell jangled, alerting the shop owner to his presence. Stepping out from behind a drapery hung doorway, a short, voluptuous dark-haired woman approached the counter that ran the length of the shop and leaned on an elbow. Propping her chin on one hand, she gave Cal a through perusal up and down. “You could only be Caleb.” “What makes you say that?” He’d been sent, so it wasn’t a huge stretch. Still… It never hurt to see what information people were willing to volunteer. The woman smiled at him and cocked a brow. “You were described. And pretty accurately, too, I’d say.” “I was, huh?” Her smile somehow implied that they shared a secret between them, although Cal couldn’t for the life of him figure out either how they could or what it might be. “By whom?” “By your boyfriend. I’m Caroline, by the way and this is my place.” “My boyfriend?” It still gave Cal a little thrill to be able to say those words. Once upon a time he’d thought he’d have to go his whole life hiding who he was, but since coming to Doradus with Sarhaan and the crew of the Vigilant, a lot of things in his life had changed. “So who’s Flynn, then?” “That’d be me, of course.” “Of course,” Caleb nodded agreeably. Caroline’s grin was infectious and Cal found himself grinning back at her. “Why ‘of course’?” Shrugging, Caroline came around the end of the counter, coming to stand an arm’s length from Cal. “Because it’s my place and because people can be funny about these things. Certain things they only want to get from a man, so I want the name neutral sounding. But I know I can do the best job, so I’m only acting in their best interests, you understand.” “Is that so?”

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“Would I lie?” Caroline slanted him a sidelong look and smiled. Cal smiled back. “Would I call you on it if you did?” “Good answer.” It was Caroline’s turn to nod as she reached out to run a finger down the lapel of Cal’s jacket. “I can tell we’re going to get along just fine. So, c’mon. Follow me, hon.” “Whoa, whoa. Not so fast.” Cal might be in an agreeable mood, but he didn’t follow anyone anywhere without a few more facts at his disposal. “And where exactly would we be going?” “To the fitting room. Most people want this done in private, but I guess if you want to stand naked in my front window… heck yeah, I’ll take the free advertising.” “Naked?” “’Fraid so, darlin’. These clothes don’t fit so good if I’m layering ‘em over what you’ve already got on. And,” she eyed him up and down again, “I can see why your boyfriend was so specific about what he ordered.” Caught off guard, Cal was running the facts through his head as quickly as they accumulated, but nothing was coming to him. Obviously Sarhaan had something in mind, but clothes? “Yeah?” Just when Cal’s wariness had faded somewhat, here it was coming at him from another angle. “Should I be pleased or frightened?” “Oh, pleased, definitely. Come on back this way, darlin’. You are gonna be scorching in what I’ve got waiting for you.” His pulse just slightly elevated, Cal followed Caroline as she headed for the fitting rooms. *** “Wear the coat over the outfit. Take this card and go to the corner of Green and Station and ask for the box. Bring what they give you to 10 Buell. Go inside.” Feeling like the entire population of Doradus was watching, Cal had donned the coat he’d been handed and was walking as quickly as he could down Green Street toward Station. It was an odd sort of rolling shuffle he’d finally settled on, the slide of material over his body seeming to stimulate his every nerve-ending. He couldn’t figure out how Caroline’s clothing did it, but the silky material moved like a ghostly touch over his skin, brushing his dick like the touch of a flirtatious lover.

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The outfit’s top didn’t conceal much and the teasing rasp across his nipples with nearly every step he took was driving Cal crazy. The coat was an old-fashioned belted thing that looked like something out of a museum. Where the hell Sarhaan had managed to dig up the old fossil Cal had no idea, but he found himself being grateful for it, since it actually helped a bit. Before he’d slipped the coat on, the material had moved even more and he’d had a noticeable hard-on before he’d even left Flynn’s Custom-Made. The hard-on was still there, but at least now the coat helped conceal things a bit. By the time Cal reached Station, he was already experimenting to see if he could touch himself through the pockets of the coat, but the cut was too narrow to do him much good. He tried tugging on the front of the coat, but he couldn’t gain much traction there, either. What was the point of this idiotic scavenger hunt, anyway? His relationship with Sarhaan was pretty straightforward: he loved Sarhaan like crazy and would do anything for him; the big ex-soldier loved him back and fucked him silly every chance they got. So why the game? The storefront Cal found himself in front of this time was a storage facility. Nothing fancy, just lockers, secure deposit boxes and rentable spaces for stashing things too big to take out on a run, but too precious to leave just lying around. Cal shoved the door open and went in. The kid behind the counter looked up from the simulator he’d been engrossed in, but said nothing. Probably waiting for Cal to speak first, except Cal was too stunned by the myriad facial piercings and full-body tattoo to know what to say. Jesus, that must have hurt, came to mind, though. Those piercings would probably whistle in the wind—if Doradus had wind. “Did you need something?” “Um,” Cal checked the card again. “I think you’re holding a box for me.” Cal thrust out the card to show the man, who barely glanced at it as he shoved himself to his feet. “Oh, you’re that guy. Yeah. Just a second.” Squatting down, the kid disappeared from view and the hollow metal clank of metal on metal was followed by a soft whooshing sound. Rummaging noises were followed by another clank, and when he stood again, the kid held a square, sealed box in the palm of one hand. “I need to keep the card. For my records.” They executed a cautious exchange that would have done a kidnapper and cautious parent proud. As soon as Cal had the box in his possession he examined the outside for markings. There weren’t any, but whatever was inside thunked heavily from side to side as he turned the box over and over in his hand.

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“Guess you’re not too worried about breaking it.” Adding the card to his bulging rack of documents, the man adjusted his stool and sat back down, eyes already fixed again on the compact simulator screen he had retrofitted into the desk. “Yeah, good point.” Actually, that wasn’t a bad observation and, frankly, it was something that hadn’t even crossed Cal’s mind. He shook the box a little, listening more closely this time. “I hope it’s not alive.” “At this point, I don’t think that’s a problem any more.” The kid never even looked up from his simmie as Cal turned and left. *** When he finally found 10 Buell, Cal was ready to crawl out of his skin. Every step he took felt like a hand caressing his dick and the silky stroke of the material across his nipples might have been the delicate whisper of a lover’s breath. The drape of cool cloth down the crack of his ass had Cal clenching in anticipation of a penetrating body. Whatever it finally turned out to be, the payoff had damn well better be worth it. Aroused and about so far past ready to fuck that it could be measured in light years, Cal approached the door of 10 Buell. He raised his hand to knock, but, what had the card said? Go inside. He was pretty sure that’s what it had said, anyway. What the hell. Cal was just irritated enough not to care if he didn’t have the instructions letter perfect. He’d followed the trail of breadcrumbs to Grandmother’s house or whatever the hell this was supposed to be. Sarhaan would just have to deal with it if he hadn’t gotten things exactly right. Somehow not surprised when his palm placed over the thermal imaging reader released the lock, Cal shoved the door open. He only realized how edgy he was when nothing happened and his lungs began screaming for oxygen. Releasing the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, Cal stepped cautiously inside. It didn’t look like much from the outside, but inside the nondescript squarish building seemed intended as living quarters. The walls were actually finished out—not the bare beams and tantalum rivets that most businesses made do with. Small, bare but clean were the impressions that his mind recorded in the couple of seconds he took to sweep the room. Before he spotted Sarhaan.

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Sarhaan and the sword. Posed facing away from Cal and the door, Sarhaan stood with an enormous sword— unsheathed and gleaming dully in the dim lighting of the room—point resting on the floor, clasped lightly in his hands as he held them behind his back. Sarhaan’s very naked body. The juxtaposition of the lethal-looking blade with the curves of Sarhaan’s taut, muscular ass took Cal’s sexual excitement and cranked it up another notch. There was something arousing in the proximity of the weapon, antique but still dangerous, with Sarhaan’s body—fit and weapon-like in its own way, but naked and vulnerable without armor or clothing of any kind. “Sarhaan?” Cal wondered how long Sarhaan had been standing. His thighs -- muscular and lasered to a hairless state -- tensed; that magnificent backside tightened further and the muscles of Sarhaan’s arms bunched as his left hand released its grip on the sword, as the right began arcing it slowly over his head in one smoothly controlled movement. Matching the right arm, Sarhaan’s left reached up to grasp the wicked-sharp blade and Cal winced as fingers curled around the edges, holding tight. A trio of bright red rivulets formed and trickled downward, snaking their way along the blade and Sarhaan’s arm, until the station’s artificial gravity pulled them down completely and they hit the floor in a series of dull splats. “Jesus, Sarhaan, watch it!” Pivoting on one foot, Sarhaan turned. Facing Cal, he held the sword aloft, as though it weighed grams and not the kilos Cal knew it must. Ebony skin gleaming in the half-light, Cal caught the glimmer of something shiny nestled at the base of Sarhaan’s erect cock. “Hold out your hand.” Cal hadn’t seen Sarhaan’s lips move, but he knew they must have, just like he knew something had given his feet the order to move. He found himself walking deliberately toward Sarhaan, arm outstretched. “Left hand, not your right. And lose the coat.” Stripping quickly out of the garment, Cal tossed it aside and offered his hand, only to jerk it back just as quickly when Sarhaan began lowering the blade. “Sarhaan! What is this? What’s going on?” Cal’s knees were shaking and his heart was thumping heavily in his chest, even as his dick got harder by the moment.

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He was used to taking orders from Sarhaan. Cal would drop and take Sarhaan’s cock in his mouth at the merest flick of a glance. He’d grown used to having his pants yanked down and his ass lubed for use at a moment’s notice and—not just used to it—he’d come to crave it. Loved working side by side with Sarhaan every day and becoming his sex toy by night. “Your hand. Give it to me.” Teammate, lover, partner—Sarhaan was everything to him. But blades scared the living shit out of him. Always had. “Sarhaan—” Sarhaan’s brown-eyed gaze boring into him, Cal stood frozen. “I won’t tell you again. Do it.” “But…” Cal bit the inside of his cheek as he consciously commanded his muscles to raise his left hand. “Sarhaan, please.” Sarhaan’s gaze wouldn’t let him look away, either. Cal wanted to avert his eyes, not watch, just like he had when he’d been a child and the doctor had been about to do something unpleasant. Only then his cock hadn’t been so hard it hurt and his balls hadn’t been drawn up tight against his body. Lowering the blade until it rested against Cal’s upturned palm, Sarhaan caught Cal’s gaze deliberately with his and then, faster than Cal could turn to look, the blade sliced across Cal’s hand. Caleb cried out at the same time Sarhaan pressed their hands together. Pressing their palms together, Sarhaan began to speak, his melted-caramel voice moving smoothly over the unfamiliar words. “Madumilizo ni damu. Ini vishkoto inaru. Jumba la kufania. Maada ya harusi. Kubwa na hiti ushirikiano. Daima. Ashki hoja?” Cal fought the dizziness that washed over him as Sarhaan’s words faded into the background and their blood flowed together and mingled. The sight of his own blood dripping slowly onto the floor made him light-headed and he just hoped Sarhaan would catch him if he fainted. “Sisemi kuKush.” Cal gazed up helplessly at Sarhaan. “I still don’t speak Kush.” Sarhaan’s gaze bored into Cal’s for a moment and Cal could only stare and wonder. “Blood of my blood, heart of my heart. My weapon, my wealth, this structure, all that is mine… I give to you, even as I claim you as mine. We are one. Now and forever. Do you so grant it?” His head swimming, Cal blinked several times and tried to focus. Sarhaan had asked him something. Had that even been a question? Do you grant it?

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“I g-grant it.” The heavy thud of the sword falling resounded off the walls of the empty room as Sarhaan dropped the weapon and caught Cal to him, kissing him. Their mouths met and mated as Sarhaan wrapped one long arm around Cal’s ass and pressed their groins together. The loss of blood hadn’t effected his dick, apparently, because the feel of their cocks rubbing together made him moan. What had he done? The words sounded ceremonial enough. Was it some primitive joining ceremony that Sarhaan had run across in his travels as a soldier with the Republic’s most elite group of Marines? No longer kissing him, Sarhaan was wrapping Cal’s hand with gauze now. Why wouldn’t he just use a fuse strip, or hike them both back to the ship for a quick stay in re gen? Cal didn’t understand any of it, but after wrapping his own hand, Sarhaan enfolded Cal in his embrace and guided him into an adjoining room, where only a bed inhabited the small living space. Whose room was this? Whose house, for that matter? Sarhaan steered Cal toward the bed until his calves and the backs of his thighs touched it, before tipping him backward onto it and almost immediately leaving again. When he came back Sarhaan was adjusting the old-fashioned gauze wrap on his hand. It was only after he’d finished retying the hand that he reached under his arm and retrieved the box he’d tucked between his arm and his body—the package that Cal had picked up from the storage facility. Sitting down next to Cal on the bed, Sarhaan quickly removed the box’s seal and opened it to reveal the contents to Cal’s curious gaze. Cal peered over Sarhaan’s shoulder, with only his interest in solving the mystery of what lay inside the carton keeping him from the distraction of unobstructed access to Sarhaan’s skin. He couldn’t resist a brief taste, but Cal gasped when he saw what Sarhaan was touching so carefully with one finger. “That can’t be gold. Can it?” With nearly a dozen mouths to feed and work sporadic, the team’s finances were a constant source of concern. The contract with the mining guild had hit some snags and their income was barely a quarter of what they’d initially projected they’d have coming in at this point. Sarhaan nodded, turning his head to catch Cal’s mouth in kiss. Sarhaan always tasted so good and his kisses… Cal groaned at the sweep of Sarhaan’s tongue in his mouth and

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pretty soon Sarhaan was threading his fingers through Cal’s hair and pulling them both back down onto the bed. “Where did you find a gold—that is a gold cock ring, isn’t it?” Sarhaan was stroking him as they lay side by side, trailing his fingers over the slinky material of Caroline’s creation—part harem boy, part concubine. The cropped shirt bared most of Cal’s belly and the loose, bias-cut pants rode so low they showed a truly indecent amount of pelvic bone. If not for the coat he’d have been in danger of violating even Doradus’s admittedly lenient decency code. The material was a pale ivory in color and so thin that every bump and curve showed through, making it seem somehow even more revealing that actual nudity. The sleeves were long, reaching down to brush Cal’s knuckles, while the pants were cut generously enough to cover everything but the tips of Cal’s toes. The clothing’s real allure, though, was in the feel of it on his skin. Although cool to the touch, it managed to stimulate his every nerve-ending, feeling like one long, teasing caress. “Yes, it’s gold. But you’re worth it.” Tracing the line of Cal’s leg from the inside of his knee up to the crease where his leg joined his hip, Sarhaan was driving Cal out of his mind. The slide of material over his erection was maddening and, combined with Sarhaan’s touch, Cal was arching up off the bed to find relief. “Gold? Are you crazy? Where did you get it? We don’t have that kind of money and, God, put your hand on my dick, please.” Instead, Sarhaan’s hand stroked the crease of Cal’s leg, before circling the rise of Cal’s hip, only to drift over and spiral endlessly around his navel. “Never mind where it came from. It’s for you and I want to see you wear it. Will you wear it for me?” His voice a smooth baritone rumble, Sarhaan was doing what he did best: reduce Cal to a quivering pile of need, shivering and aching until Cal begged Sarhaan to fuck him. “I will if you’ll suck me. I’m too hard right now. Feel that?” A touch so faint Cal wasn’t sure it was real traced the crown of his cock and Cal braced his feet on the mattress to give himself some leverage before pushing up. He sought more of Sarhaan’s hand on his dick, but Sarhaan wasn’t falling for Cal’s attempt to bargain and easily evaded his efforts. “Mm, I see your point, you are very hard. But do you deserve my mouth? I’m not sure.” “I do, I do. Sarhaan, please. You know I’d do anything for you.”

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“Is that true? Anything?” Sarhaan’s voice had softened to a whisper now, and his fleeting little touches were driving Cal crazy. “You know it is. Please, please, please. Sarhaan.” “I spoil you, I know, but I do so love it when you beg.” Sitting up, Sarhaan tugged on Cal’s pants, but it didn’t take much. After shifting them down just enough to display Cal’s cock, though, Sarhaan stopped. “Shush, now. Patience is a virtue.” “But, but—” Cal was desperate. “You are so beautiful. Do you know how beautiful you are?” “Tell me later, ah.” And Sarhaan’s mouth was on him. Cal shoved hard, driving into the heat and suction that was the most intense pleasure he’d ever found, but almost immediately Sarhaan’s hands were on his hips, controlling him, tempering his thrusts. Cal tried to follow the movements of Sarhaan’s mouth, his tongue, as he moved off and on Cal’s cock. But Sarhaan held him down, only allowing him pleasure as Sarhaan wished. “So beautiful. All pink and flushed. I love how you respond to me. So passionate, always.” When Sarhaan crawled up his body and kissed him, Cal could taste himself on Sarhaan’s mouth. His cock was pulsing with every shallow, panting breath he took and he just wanted… Cal wanted to stay this way—the object of Sarhaan’s love and affection and adoring attention—forever. “I’m going to let you come now, baby. Do you want to come?” Cal could only whimper and nod, his arms and legs restless, his eyelids too heavy to open for long. “Wait until I say the word. Then you can come.” Coming was good, but coming and making Sarhaan happy at the same time was so much better. Cal panted and waited, trying to be patient, but all he could think about was the perfect heaven of Sarhaan’s mouth and how good it was going to be to have it back again. A slow, maddening lick with the tip of Sarhaan’s tongue ran up the underside of his cock. When it reached the head, it circled slowly, flicking delicately at the edges until Cal was vibrating with need. About the time Cal thought he would scream, then finally, finally, Sarhaan whispered, “Now.” Then that unbelievable mouth was on him again and in just a few seconds Cal was shooting hard. His hips came up off the bed as fireworks went off behind his eyelids. Sarhaan didn’t stop, though. Long pulls of Sarhaan’s tongue drained him dry and, even

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after, stayed on him with gentle licks and swipes of his tongue, making Cal jump and twitch with every touch. *** “So what is this place? What are we doing here?” It was the morning of the next day and Cal hadn’t gotten much sleep. Not only had Sarhaan been wearing a cock ring of his own, but he’d been in a mood. Always an attentive lover for whom stamina wasn’t an issue, even so, last night had been different. Cal couldn’t remember such a sense of urgency since the first days when they’d first gotten together aboard the Vigilant and that had been… must be close to a year ago now. Sarhaan lay on his back, beautifully sculpted body on careless display. One hand rested on his muscled abdomen while the other curled familiarly around Cal’s dick. “Weren’t you paying attention? I distinctly remember telling you the house was yours. It’s ours now.” “You’re giving me a house?” Cal was incredulous. “You really weren’t paying attention, were you?” Only a small curve of the lips gave any clue to Sarhaan’s frame of mind. “I thought the occasion called for something a little more memorable. If I’d known flowers and a card would do, well…” Cal yawned and placed his hand on top of Sarhaan’s, putting glorious pressure on his cock. “Occasion?” “It’s been a year.” Cal froze, thinking hard. A year? Since he and Sarhaan had first… like… an anniversary? But what event was Sarhaan marking? And how many times had he heard Sarhaan or Kai say that vestigial methods of measuring time had no meaning out here, off-world? Cal didn’t need to peek from under his lashes to know Sarhaan was watching him. He’d better say something. “Oh, yeah. Right. That’s right. So… nice. I mean, this is for us? We have a house?” Rolling onto his side, Sarhaan’s hand fell away but Cal smiled anyway. “It looks like we’re going to be here a while. I thought we could use our own place away from the rest of the crew. It’s beginning to feel too much like intrusive roommates to me.”

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Something in the tone told Cal he hadn’t reacted the way Sarhaan had expected. Shit. It’d started out just like any other day to Cal and blazing, over-the-top romanticism hadn’t been on his event horizon. Just when he thought he knew Sarhaan inside and out, the man found a new way to take his breath away. “Oh, wow. I didn’t, um, I mean, that’s great. I love it.” Slipping his hand through the braids at Sarhaan’s temple, Cal moved closer. “I love you.” Rolling on top of Cal, Sarhaan nudged Cal’s legs wider and began shifting his weight. Just a little more energy and it would become the rocking motion Cal knew so well. Sarhaan took Cal’s hands in his and raised them above Cal’s head. When he had Cal spread-eagled and helpless, he brought his face down to Cal’s and helped himself to a slow, deep kiss. “As much as I love you?” “More.” Sarhaan didn’t say the words very often and it always made Cal ridiculously happy to hear them. Cal grinned up at Sarhaan. “I love you and I don’t care who knows it.” “That’s good.” Dropping a kiss on the tip of Cal’s nose, Sarhaan smiled back. “It won’t hurt as much, then, when we tattoo my name across your ass. Get some sleep, baby. The appointment’s not until fourteen-hundred.” END

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Off World: Ceremony Copyright © 2007 by Stephanie Vaughan All rights reserved. No part of this eBook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address Torquere Press, Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680 Printed in the United States of America. Torquere Press, Inc.: Sips electronic edition / October 2007 Torquere Press eBooks are published by Torquere Press, Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680

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