Breeder
bloom. A delicate, fragile flower with eyes the color of—
    “You should know I will tolerate no disobedience, disrespect, or dishonesty.” He snapped the reins, the sound reminiscent of the sudon cracking against her pale, rounded buttocks. “Any such behavior will result in immediate punishment.”
    Her slender throat moved as she swallowed. “Yes, Commander.”
    One would not have guessed this subdued female was the same creature who’d tried to bite off his finger, had fought like a feleen when he’d disciplined her, and had been denounced as incorrigible and troublesome. He would be wise to maintain his guard around such unpredictability.
    “My beta is Corren. He acts on my behalf, and you will obey him without question or complaint. But if a discrepancy should occur between his direction and mine, my word supersedes his. Is that understood?”
    She nodded. “I would not expect anything else.”
    “In private you may ask questions because it will help you learn, and it will facilitate the smooth and efficient running of my household. However, when we appear in public or entertain dignitaries at home, you will remain silent unless you are spoken to.”
    The conveyance hit a bump, and Omra fell against him. Her naked breast pressed against his arm, the heat of her flesh penetrating his uniform to his skin. She jerked away with an apology. Females did not touch males without permission, but he did not rebuke the indiscretion. It wasn’t entirely her fault.
    “Do you have any questions now?” he asked. She wet her lips. He remembered them as being well-shaped when not swollen.
    “Do you entertain…many dignitaries…often?” she asked in a halting voice.
    “A fair amount during High Council season,” he said. “Intermittently the rest of the year.” Omra’s availability would be a political asset. Guests expected the host of a social gathering to provide the use of his breeder in addition to food and drink. Until now, he hadn’t owned a breeder, and that had put him at a disadvantage. Small political courtesies often smoothed the rough edges of disagreement.
    Unless one sought to create offspring, men had little interest in vaginal contact, but just in case, the lock-ring would ensure only anal intercourse could occur and that all progeny belonged to him. As she was new to his household, visitors would be eager to try her out. His stomach soured. He clicked at the beasts and tightened his lips.
    “I am sorry,” she said.
    He glanced at her. “For what?”
    “I have earned your disfavor.”
    Either she was too perceptive or he was too transparent. That his face had betrayed his thoughts did not befit a Commander. He vowed to take more care. “If you had displeased me, I would have told you and implemented corrective action.” He would not hesitate to pull the beasts off the road and apply the sudon to her backside.
    She flinched, and additional color suffused her already pink cheeks. He abided no nonsense, but he was no brute either, so she need not fear him if she behaved. He studied her bruised face. “I suspect you shall incur many a punishment before all is settled, but I shall not beat you.”
    She twisted her hands in her lap. “You had the director flogged.”
    “He deserved it, did he not?” An absurd pursuit to ask a female to comment on matters of justice, but the ride home would be long, and conversation would pass the time.
    She bowed her head. “I thought so, but…”
    “But you fear you will be subject to the same?”
    She nodded.
    “Only in an extreme circumstance, which at this moment, I cannot envision. In any case, I will never strike your face. The director dishonored himself by abusing his authority. His crime was more serious than what any female might commit. He deserved a commensurate punishment.” He snapped the reins. “He will never set foot in a Breeder Containment Facility again.”
    “In your household, does your beta have the authority to discipline?”
    Dak
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