Women of Steel: Some Like It Hot Camille Anthony All rights reserved. Copyright ©2005 Camille Anthony No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and email, without prior written permission from Changeling Press LLC. ISBN (10) 1-59596-307-3 ISBN (13) 978-1-59596-307-9 Formats Available: HTML, Adobe PDF, MobiPocket, Microsoft Reader Publisher: Changeling Press LLC PO Box 1561 Shepherdstown, WV 25443-1561 www.ChangelingPress.com Editor: Crystal Esau Cover Artist: Sahara Kelly This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers. Chapter One Thank you, gentlehom and gentlefem officers, I believe that will be all. Madam, are you sure you wouldn t like me to procure you a beverage? I am in need of nothing, thank you. Maneuvers are over for the day. Consider yourselves off-duty. Thalassic Harmon, Brigadier General and supreme commander of Earth s Planetary Repulsion Force, sidled into her offices and gently closed the door on the anxious faces of her aides. She held her breath until she heard them moving away and then breathed a thankful sigh. Those two were worse than nursemaids. Toeing off her running shoes and stripping off her thick military-issue socks, she closed her eyes and bit back a whimper at the sheer relief of letting her sweaty feet free. Placing one hand flat on her desk, she bent over to gingerly probe the sore spot on her foot. She d known better than to jog in new shoes and had no one else to blame for the painful blister on her left heel. She was tired to her bones. Today she was feeling her age and that last stretch of track had been agonizing. She almost welcomed the pain for it helped to take her mind off her worries. Here in her office, behind closed doors and away from the ever watchful eyes of her aides, she could give her emotions free rein. Thalassic had spent what seemed like eons pondering the possible ramifications that would definitely ensue once the top- secret communiqué about the whereabouts of her daughter, Daiquiri, became public knowledge. Knowing the penchant for gossip the normal run of office staffers had, she was shocked there d been no leak regarding the information she d received so many months before. Camille Anthony Women of Steel: Some Like It Hot - 4 Consisting of only two lines, the message refused to be shunted away and ignored. On the contrary, it was burned into her memory. Lead Scarth vessel initiated verbal contact at 0200 hours, 23-03-2305. Voice identification of General Daiquiri Harmon verified at 100%. After more than five years missing in action, Thalassic finally had word of her daughter Daiquiri. Instead of being able to rejoice, she found herself in the unenviable position of having to determine if her child had betrayed her home planet. Frozen Daiquiri Harmon, her first-born daughter --the one child that took after her more than all the others -- the beginning of her strength was present on board the lead Scarth ship that headed a vast armada of death --an armada heading for Earth, steering a course that would bring two worlds into clashing conflict. What was Daiquiri to the Scarth prisoner and victim, or traitor and accomplice? A disheartened sigh lifted her chest. Martini had been faced with this exact question months ago and Thalassic wished, now, she had been more compassionate in her response to her youngest daughter. To be hoist on her own petard like this was not the most comfortable feeling in the world. Added to her present pain and increasing burdens was the fear her unyielding stance had somehow contributed to the stresses and strains that had cost her daughter the lives of her unborn children. Barely three months into her pregnancy, right after her controversial marriage to Denzel Wattana --which Thalassic had vehemently opposed --Martini fell and suffered a massive hemorrhage that resulted in a miscarriage. She lost her twins. Few knew she d been running from Thalassic, upset and angry at her mother s biting comments on what was expected of an Amazon warrior. Looking back, Thalassic wished she d had the courage to simply accept Martini s open avowal of her chosen lifestyle. Instead, fearful of her secret passions being brought to the limelight, she d struck out. Their situations were too similar. Unlike Marti s bold, Camille Anthony Women of Steel: Some Like It Hot - 5 I ll-do-what-I-want-and-damn-anyone else s-opinion stance, she had never been able to admit she loved being controlled in the bedroom. All of a sudden, Thalassic couldn t wait to get home. She needed Darvic. Only he could help her regain her lost focus, sharpen her resolve. He, more than anyone else, knew what she needed in order to retain her sanity Straightening her spine with new determination, the brigadier general moved over to her desk and depressed a button. Yes, sir! Curt, have my flitter brought around. I m going to call it a day and go home early. The silence at the other end of the intercom had a shocked quality to it. I ll see to it right away, sir! Er General there s no problem, is there? Are you feeling ill? The shaky voice that finally answered caused her to tighten her lips to repress a smile. No more problems than usual, Corporal. And no, I m not ill. I ve simply decided to use some of my mountainous comp-time and go home early. If a situation should arise, I can always be reached at the Harmon Compound. Very well, sir. The corporal sounded relieved. Her finger lifting off the button and cutting off the conversation with her personal aide, Thalassic sat at her desk and picked up her personal mobile communicator. She touched the raised pad that connected her directly to her consort. Darvic, here. At the sound of his gruff voice, Thalassic felt her very bones melting as all the tensions of the day drained away. Her pussy wept, dampening her military-issue panties as anticipation rose within. I m coming home early. The video cut in and she gazed into the face of her long-time lover and consort. His shaggy white-blond hair, pulled into a haphazard ponytail and held by a strip of unadorned kraken hide, revealed his beloved features. Baltic blue eyes stared out at her Camille Anthony Women of Steel: Some Like It Hot - 6 from a face craggy and austere, carved in the stark lines of his Viking forbears. Those ancient warriors had passed their strength of character down to their descendant. Darvic s wide mouth smiled at her from the video console. How early is early? Thalassic shivered under the steady heated gaze of her life companion. I m leaving now as soon as we disconnect. Bold blue eyes brightened with lust and that something else that had kept them together for more than twenty-five years. I ll be ready for you. He frowned, eyes roaming over her with more attention. You look rundown. She swallowed. I m tired and worried. I need something to take my mind off the situations here at work. The blue of his eyes lit up. I can do that for you. Come home, Thalassic. Come to me. The brigadier general straightened her tired shoulders. You are home for me, Darvic. You always have been. I ll see you soon. Chapter Two Darvic Gunderssen --Martini Harmon s father and Thalassic s longtime consort -knew Thalassic better than she knew herself. And he was worried He hustled about the compound, readying everything for her arrival. As he informed the cook exactly what would be required, he thought about what her leaving early could mean. Thalassic never cut short her working hours. In fact, he sometimes thought they had re-invented the term workaholic just for her. His Lassi never quit, never drew back in the face of adversity. That she was coming home in the middle of the afternoon told him more about her state of mind than a doctor s report could have. If the general had called it a day, his woman was in dire need of him. She d expect him to take care of her in the way only he could. Most people considered General Thalassic Harmon to be the ultimate warrior, the post-Martian savior of the Earth, but Darvic knew the woman behind the hype. In order to serve her planet, his Lassi had sacrificed much. He knew the tears she d shed over her daughters, wishing for a closer relationship with them, wishing she hadn t had to be absent for so much of their lives. Unlike normal mothers, she hadn t had the time to be the soft nurturer most little girls craved. To the world, she was perfect and strong, needing no one and nothing. The world couldn t be more wrong. Only Darvic knew the woman behind the icon. He alone knew the lust to submit that burned inside his woman. Like their daughter Marti, Thalassic was an Amazon with the heart of a houri. She should have been born a pleasure slave such as those on the planet Riddion, but fate had seen fit to place her in a family of soldiers and modern day warriors. Camille Anthony Women of Steel: Some Like It Hot - 8 Perhaps fate knew best, Darvic mused, fluffing the cushions of the sofa. He believed Earth never could have withstood that first Scarth incursion w...
widez2