Breeding Partners.. free porn video

Day 1

Max sat in her tiny cell with its grey, unpainted concrete walls, staring at nothing as thoughts of escape filled her mind. That had been her only constant thought ever since she had woken up in the infirmary two weeks ago.

No, she corrected. Her mind had also been filled with thoughts of Zack. What Zack had done for her was so typically Zack; sacrificing himself to keep her alive. She had stared, numb in shock when that bitch, Renfro had told her in that smug voice of hers that Zack had died giving her his heart.

Thinking of Zack’s heat beating strongly inside her made her feel sad. It was not meant to be like this. Escaping should have meant that all of them had a chance to live a normal life. Not getting caught. Not getting killed by their own sibling Not getting progeria and had to go back to Manticore. Heck, not dying to safe another sibling.

She needed to get of Manticore and get back to the real world out there. Being in this cell depressed her to no end.

Lost in her thoughts, she did not notice that someone was about to come into her cell until the metal door slammed open. Her eyes snapped up to see a male transgenic walking in.

Max’s jaw went slack as she took in the appearance of her visitor.

“Ben?” she said tentatively.

His face twisted in puzzlement. “What?”

Max’s heart sank in disappointment when she realised he was not Ben. “You look like someone I used to know.”

“My designation’s 494,” he said.

“He was 493. You must be twinned,” Max mumbled.

494 nodded. “Yeah, your fellow traitor who went psycho. I had to spend six months in psy-ops for that. They wanted to make sure that it wasn’t genetic. Looks like ten years in the world finally got to him,” he said with a smirk.

“It was this place that got to him!” Max snapped, irritated at his dig at Ben. What did he know anyway? This guy had been in Manticore so long that he did not know anything but its strict regime.

Rolling his eyes, 494 said, “Whatever you say,” and then he pulled off his shirt, “Well, let’s get this over with, huh? I’ve got other stuff to do.”

Max’s eyes rounded. “What the hell are you doing?” she asked, her expression incredulous as his bare, muscular chest came into view. She clamped down on the typical female appreciation when faced with a noteworthy male counterpart, and glared at him instead.

“We’ve been paired off. I’m your breeding partner,” he explained blandly. “Lucky me,” he added under his breath.

“My WHAT?”

“We’re supposed to copulate every night until you get pregnant,” he explained impatiently. “You haven’t been briefed on this?”

“That’s sick! And no, no one told about it,” Max said, her face twisted in disgust. Manticore had finally flipped if they thought that she was going to copulate with some strange transgenic who looked exactly like Ben. It was sick even if the transgenic did not look like any of her siblings.

“You brought it on yourself, 452. They’ll still be whipping up embryos in the DNA lab if you haven’t blown it up,” 494 accused. His hands went down to his waist and snapped open the button. Then noticing her fully dressed state, he asked with a frown, “What are you waiting for?”

“I’m not doing this,” Max said resolutely, eyeing him warily as his fingers went to the zipper. He can’t be serious!

“We’ve got our orders, 452,” he stated, his eyes not leaving her as he unzipped his pants. “It’s not like I want to do this. Who knows where you’ve been all this time. I might catch something,” he said with an exaggerated shudder.

She ignored his jibe. “Keep your clothes on, smart-ass! You’ll catch my fist in your face if you don’t stop right there,” she threatened as his black boxers came into view. This can’t be happening, she thought in disbelief as her eyes followed his hands. Thank goodness his boxers were loose. Yanking her eyes back up to his face, she reiterated, “I’m not k**ding.”

His hands paused in their task of slipping his pants down his hips. “Whoa, there no need for v******e. You should be glad that it’s me and not one of the others. I’ve never had any complaints before, I’ll have you know.” He grinned at her.

“Well, if you want to keep it that way, I suggest that you leave now!” she said sweetly, bending down to pick up his shirt. Tossing it at his chest, she said in a hard tone, “Get out. Copulation’s over.”

All signs of playfulness left his face as he stepped closer to her. His face merely inches from hers, he said in a hard voice, “Listen, 452. I don’t know what your deal is, but an order is an order, and we’re going to carry it out to the word. Understood?”

Gritting her teeth in annoyance, she bit out, “Do I look like I care?”

494 smirked at her as he stood back, and then deliberately pushed down his pants slowly, ignoring her gasp. Stepping out of it, he kicked it to the side and advanced towards her, clad only in his boxers. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not about to send myself back to psy-ops. That means that we’re going to do what we were ordered to do, alright?” he said softly, but the threat in his tone was clear.

“Back off and get out!” Max snapped, glaring at him furiously.

Unperturbed, he said in a flat tone, “I was about to suggest that we do it the easy way, but I don’t think you’re up for it.”

Max’s eyes widened as he lunged at her. Still in shock at the entire situation, she did not react fast enough to stop him from tumbling her backwards on her bunk. His right hand went around her wrists, holding her hands over her head as he used his weight to demobilise her. His left hand came between them to grab a fistful of her shirt roughly.

And yanked hard.

As he tore her shirt off her, leaving her top clad only in the black Manticore standard issue sports bra. The move increased the space between them, giving Max the chance she needed. Slipping a leg to one side, Max brought her knee up and smashed it into the side of 494’s ribs. The blow itself was not hard, but distracted, 494 did not move in time to avoid Max’s head bashing against his nose.

494 hissed in pain, causing his grasp to loosen. “Damn!” he exclaimed, shaking his head slightly.

Max took the opportunity to shove hard at him, pushing him off her. She was furious. “You’re sick, you know that?!” she yelled.

Flipping herself to her feet, she faced him in a fight stance.

Wiping the blood off his nose and his split lips using the back of his hand, 494 stood up. Taking in the way she held herself, he smirked, “You think you can take me on? I’ve got ten years training on you.”

“So? Big deal. You’re the one with the bleeding nose and busted lips, not me,” Max taunted, her eyes still pinned on him warily.

“I was trying to be gentle, but I didn’t realise you liked it rough,” 494 said, his eyes glittering dangerously.

Max rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. Does the word ‘****’ mean anything to you? Or is it just another word which Manticore had conveniently translated into ‘copulation’?” she asked sarcastically.

He widened his eyes not so innocently. “Why will it be ****? You’ll be willing after a while. Like I said earlier, I never had any complaints,” he said, suddenly kicking out at her without warning.

Sidestepping his kick, Max threw a punch at his midsection before saying, “Get over yourself, dickhead.”

He jumped back, avoiding her punch. “My designation’s 494. Not ‘dickhead’,” he informed her blandly as they continued to circle each other. He snapped his right arm towards her.

“Too bad. Dick would have been a good name for you,” Max said with a smirk. Her arm came up to block the backhand from 494.

Pretending to think, 494 said, “I don’t think it suits my charming self.”

“With all those smart-aleck comments you make, maybe ‘Alec’ will work better,” Max said, giving him a sickly sweet smile as they continued to circle each other.

“I could live with that,” he said, looking thoughtful. Then, just as Max was about to lash out, he suddenly launched himself in the air, aiming a kick at her shoulders.

Max tried to dodge the kick, but he was too fast. Although the kick just glanced off her shoulders, it was forceful enough to land her on her back. Swearing inwardly, she clutched her shoulders and rolled into a standing position, cursing her carelessness.

She immediately flung her fist out right at his face.

Just before the punch came into contact, Alec raised his arms to block it. Twisting the same arm, he brought it round to grasp Max’s wrist, yanking her past him.

As the force of his move slammed Max into the wall, her left shoulder first, a banging sound came from the cell door.

“What’s going on here?” a guard shouted, a tazer held threateningly in his hand as he entered. His beady eyes went from Max to Alec, and then back to Max.

Her breath knocked out of her, Max leaned against the wall but did not reply. She felt as if she was one big, gigantic bruise. Transgenic or not, impacting with a solid wall was not pleasant. She had to give it to him; the idiot could fight, and she needed to be more careful.

Expressionlessly, Alec answered the guards, “Copulation for the Breeding Programme.”

“And that involves throwing your breeding partner into the wall?” the guard asked incredulously.

“That’s our normal X5 foreplay,” Alec said with a straight face.

Max rolled her eye at his reply, but decided that she should hold her tongue. After all, she would not be too surprised if the guard actually believed the smart-ass. Those guards were not the smartest of people.

Looking between the two transgenics suspiciously, the guard said, “See that you complete your instructions,” and left, closing the door behind him.

Turning his attention back to Max, Alec said predatorily, “So where were we?”





Day 3

20 hours later, they were still in the cell. By then, Max had run out of patience with Alec, who refused to back down from his defence of Manticore’s revolting Breeding Programme. She could not believe that Alec actually have the cheek to try to talk her into seeing things from Manticore’s point of view.

“There’s no way in hell I’ll agree to make babies for Manticore to torture. The whole thing’s just sick,” Max proclaimed hotly.

“Seriously, Max, not even with me? I assure you that the process itself will be enjoyable,” Alec said confidently.

Max snorted. She could not believe the guy’s ability to talk about his supposed skills like that. “Do you always have such an inflated ego or am I just so unlucky that you choose to inflict it on me?”

Alec looked thoughtful. “Just stating the facts, sweetheart,” he finally said.

“Your version of it, you mean?”

Alec shrugged, pushing against her as he did so. She could feel the heat of his body seeping towards her through their tops, making her feel uncomfortably aware of how strongly he was built. It reminded her of how defenceless she had felt last night in her cell.

Cheerfully, he said, “Hey, you can always try me out if you don’t believe me. You know, take me for a test drive. Hey, if I recall correctly, we have a date tonight. Perfect timing!”

Max’s mood darkened further as she thought again of what had happened between them last night. And what he intended to do to her tonight. There was no way she was going to let herself be cornered again and forced into completing Manticore’s disgusting task. “You’re not coming near me again tonight,” she growled in warning.

Alec said, sounding exasperated, “Listen, it’s not like I chose to be your breeding partner, alright. It’s my mission. YOU are my mission. This is Manticore, not some place outside where you can do whatever you feel like doing. We are soldiers and we have orders to follow. Get that into your head and just suck it up, soldier.”

“You can take your mission and stick it up your ass because there’s no way we’re copulating,” Max snarled.

“There’s no need to be such a bitch about it. And contrary to what you keep saying, we ARE going to complete this mission. It’s your problem how you choose to approach it. Easy or hard,” he said in a non-compromising tone.

At that moment, Max sorely wanted to smack him in the face. Gritting her teeth, she said, “You can try your best.”

“You haven’t seen what I’m capable of yet. I held back the last time,” he said ominously.

Max fought back a sudden surge of panic. If he had held back last night, then she would surely be in trouble when he decided not to hold back.

He’s just trying to scare you, her inner voice told her.

What if he was serious? What if he had held back last night? Damn it, she would not have a chance in hell to defend herself, Max thought miserably as she rested her forehead against the wall. For the hundredth time, she cursed Manticore for their sick Breeding Programme.

“Hey, what’s with the silence,” Alec asked, pushing against her for her attention.

“Would you quit shoving me already and shut up? I’m trying to ignore you here,” Max snarled hotly. She could not let him see how shaken she was at the thought of what he was going to try again tonight.

“Are you always this cheerful? Life outside must be treating you well,” Alec taunted, sounding completely unperturbed by her words.

“It’s not outside which I have a problem with. It’s Manticore and their stupid plans. The way they think that all transgenics are just a****ls to be tested and ordered about,” Max said in disgust.

“Watch it, I can report you for that.”

“Go ahead. Watch and see if I care.”

“You really want to make your stay here more unpleasant that what it has to be, don’t you? A word of advice, soldier, just follow the orders and things will be much easier on you,” Alec paused. “Including the order to copulate.”

“No chance in hell of that,” Max bit out.

“Fine, have it your way. I’m just trying to help.”

She snorted in disbelief. “Gee, thanks. I’m so touched,” she replied flatly.

“Pleasure’s all mine, sweetheart,” Alec drawled back.

Max rolled her eyes and decided to try her best to ignore him for the remainder of their punishment. Not an easy task considering that she could feel his every little movement. She groaned inwardly, hoping that it would be over soon. And the minute they got out, she needed to come up with a plan of defence for their ‘date’ tonight.

It needed to be something which he would not expect.


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The smell of food invaded his nostrils and made his mouth water. He was starving, considering that he had not eaten since breakfast yesterday. They served practically the same thing everyday, but at that moment Alec did not care. He made a beeline for the serving counter in the mess hall to pick up his tray of food.

It was all the runaway traitor’s fault that his stomach was so empty that he felt like it was going to cave in at any moment if he was not careful. He scowled deeply as he walked towards the empty seat beside X5-511, his one time partner in a mission, and sat down beside the dark haired transgenic.

After bestowing a curt nod to 511, Alec began to wolf down his food, barely taking a breath between mouthfuls.

With an amused expression, 511 said, “Hey, buddy. Slow down. The food isn’t going anywhere.”

Alec grunted as he continued to shove large mouthfuls of food into his mouth, too busy appeasing his hunger to reply to the other transgenic.

511 shrugged. “Suit yourself. Just make sure you face away from me when you choke.”

Alec threw him a biting look and swallowed. “Look, I’ve been stuck in Punishment and haven’t had a bite since breakfast yesterday, so forgive me for not having your beautiful table manners,” he said sarcastically.

Raising an eyebrow, 511 said, “Yeah, I’ve heard about that. You got yourself landed in Punishment with the ’09-er, 452, right. The rumour is, she gave the guards hell when she recovered from some surgery after the capture,” 511 smirked and then continued, “So you didn’t get far with the copulation, huh? What happened? Can’t handle the little runaway girl?”

Alec bristled at the hit on his abilities but he just snorted. “Nothing I can’t fix. She just took me by surprise. Won’t happen again.”

511 grinned and said, “Sounds like she’s quite interesting. Looks hot too. Shame she’s not assigned to me. I would have handled it better.”

“You’re welcomed to her if you want to. I’ll swap her with your breeding partner any day, at least then I could just finish the mission and get assigned to something else,” Alec said with a nonchalant wave of his hand. 511 would not know what hit him if he had been assigned to Max. But Alec knew that Renfro would not even consider swapping them. Hell, that woman probably got her kicks from seeing the transgenics suffer.

“Yeah, right, 494. Like I can just walk up to Renfro and request a swap,” 511 voiced Alec’s thoughts, rolling his eyes.

Alec shrugged. “I’ll back you up if you need me to,” he said honestly to 511. As hot as she was, 452 was definitely not worth the trouble he was going through. He had known her for less than 48 hours and in that short time, he had been insulted countless number of times and got kneed in the balls. Not to mention having to stand in a confined space without food or water with a rounded ass rubbing against him.

And now his reputation was at stake. 511 would no doubt give him hell about this for years to come.

It was all Max’s fault. If she would just get on with the orders, he would not be in this position. He had tried to explain things to her in the cell, but she had steadfastly refused to even listen to his point of view. How hard could it be to just follow the orders? It was a simple mission, a quick copulation for a few weeks should do the job. Max would get pregnant, Manticore would be happy and he would be free to go on to another mission. Simple.

But, no! She had to make it more complicated than it should be. It was not as if Manticore was going to ask her to look after the k** or something. A few months of accelerated gestation period was all she had to go through before the baby was delivered, and then she would be free to get on with whatever Manticore wanted her to do next.

Alec sighed and put down his fork, his appetite suddenly deserting him. He had no sleep last night and he was tired. Too tired to think about what he has to do tonight in Max’s cell. He knew her well enough by now to know that she would put up a monster of a fight and he was too tired to look forward to it.

“Hey, 494! Snap out of it, man!” 511 called out, snapping his fingers in front to Alec’s eyes. “Thinking about tonight, huh? More action coming up with 452?” he asked cheekily.

Alec shook his head. “Nope, just spacing out,” he lied.

Adopting a sympathetic expression, 511 stood up and laid a reassuring hand on Alec’s shoulder. “Give it time. She’ll give in at some point. They all do.”

Alec resisted the urge to snort. Max giving in? Hardly likely. What was 511 going on about? Looking up questioningly, he asked, “What do you mean?”

“They’re females right? There’s this little thing called heat. By then, you’ll be the one pushing her away,” 511 said with a grin.


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




Max jack-knifed up from her bunk into a sitting position when the door to her cell clanked open.

Damn, it was that time already, she thought tetchily. She had spent the last few hours thinking up a plan, and she finally found something viable. But she was not exactly keen to carry it out.

Alec stepped in slowly, watching her as she stood up to face him. “Max…How’s my favourite girl?” he asked with a grin. “Ready for some fun tonight?”

Max glared at him. “It was fun before you came in.”

Waggling his brows, Alec asked, “Yeah? What have you been doing? Dreaming about me?”

“You wish. I have better things to do than to dream about you, smart ass,” she retorted.

Alec clapped his hands together and smirked, ignoring her jab. “Ah well, let’s try again, shall we? We’ve got a mission to complete,” he said brightly.

Max gave him a disgusted look.

“Helps if you take off your clothes by yourself this time. I don’t want to keep ripping them off. Manticore won’t be too happy with us if we kept asking for new ones. Puts a dent in the finances, you know,” Alec advised sagely as he walked closer to her.

“What makes you think I care?” she said as she wondered how she was supposed to put her plan in action without rousing his suspicion.

“You know, they may even decide to stop issuing you with new clothes, you know that? That’ll make thing much easier for me. I’ll just have to slowly work my way through all the layers, less layers each day,” Alec said thoughtfully. “Not a bad idea, actually.”

Max grimaced. “You’re sick, you know that?”

“Nope. I’m just following orders. Now, come on. We’re both tired from Punishment. So do us both a favour and let’s get this over with without too much fuss, huh?” Alec said, lifting his shirt over his head and tossing it onto the bunk.

Okay, girl, this is it, she thought. Pasting a smile which she hoped looked genuine, she said, “I guess.”

Alec raised his eyebrows, his expression disbelieving. “Did my ears deceive me? I’m shocked, Max. What? Not putting up a fight today?”

Max sighed. “I’m not in the mood to fight with you. I’m too tired,” she said, hoping that he would believe her.

Alec frowned, looking thoughtful. And then the thoughtful look morphed into an expression of distrust.

Shit, he doesn’t look anywhere near convinced, she thought. Max kept her smile pasted on her face, but she knew that she had to do something to stop him from thinking too much. She needed to do something before he guessed what she was up to. Swallowing hard, she grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up as she walked towards him, hips swaying seductively. Throwing her shirt to the floor, she continued to move closer to him, her tongue darting out to lick her lips, her eyes locked onto his. Slowly, she ran her hand from the side of her neck down her front.

She resisted the urge to exhale in relief when Alec gaped, his eyes dilated with desire.

When she was just inches from him, she stopped and her hand went down to her waistband, undoing her trousers. As she pushed it down, she said throatily, “Cat got your tongue, Alec?”

“Huh? No…No…” he said absently, watching the progress of her trousers sliding down her legs. And then, obviously regaining his composure, he smirked and said, “Just admiring the view.”

Clad only in her Manticore issue bra and panties, she stood facing him with her hand on her hips. Max felt inexplicably gratified at the appreciative look Alec was giving her. Must be the female pride thing, she thought. The way he gazed at her was making her skin feel more sensitised than usual. She must have gone too long without satisfying her physical needs. Well, it had been a while since she had her last heat.

“This is more like it,” Alec growled as he closed the gap between them.

“Better enjoy it while you can,” Max said.

Alec smirked. One of his hands went to caress her cheeks and then trailed down her neck while the other snaked around her waist to pull her closer. Max turned her neck to the side to allow him better access and her body arched towards him involuntarily, her senses exploding at his touch. Then, realising what her body was doing, she stiffened slightly. Ugh, Max. Focus on the task, girl, she admonished herself.

Alec obviously detected the sudden change in her, because he pulled back. “What? Changed your mind so soon?” he asked warily, his eyes searching hers.

Max shook her head, not trusting herself to speak, just in case she gave the game away. Intent on dispelling Alec’s doubts, she moved her hand to him and slowly ran it down his chest. Moving her palm back up his chest, she let the tip of her fingers graze his nipples, trying to ignore how smooth his skin felt over his hard muscles. Her lips twitched as she heard him suck in his breath sharply. He was definitely affected by her touch, she reflected. She could now smell the heady scent of his arousal, his pheromones hovering thick in the air, coaxing a response from her.

Alec caught her wrist in his hands, stopping her motions. She brought her eyes up to his to find those hazel orbs blazing with desire. Her body responded with an unwanted wave of arousal. Damn it, Max. Keep your head in the game,she scolded when she felt herself heating up. This was turning out to be much more difficult that she had thought it would be.

They sank down together onto the bunk facing each other. Max’s eyes widened as Alec lowered his lips to hers. She was torn between avoiding his lips or just let it continue. Before she could decide, she felt Alec’s soft lips descending on hers. Pressing against her, he deepened the kiss, his movements rough and almost desperate. Max’s mind clouded over as she responded involuntarily, hardly aware of what she was doing while their tongues battled for dominance. Her brain had deserted her but she could not find the will to care.

She heard Alec groan deep in his throat as his hand moved down from her neck to caress her breast. His fingers grazed her already hardened nipple before pinching each of them in turn. Jolts of pleasure coursed through her at his touch, and she could not help but moan at the contact. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she moved closer, straddling him. Through the thin material of her panties, she felt the hard ridge of his arousal, and she could not keep herself from grinding against it, eliciting a throaty groan from Alec. Her eyes fluttered shut as she kissed his neck, breathing in the scent of his skin, moving only by instinct.

Absently, she realised that her mind was screaming something at her. Something about her plan.

Her eyes shot open when she remembered what she was supposed to be doing. And it was definitely not making out with her breeding partner. Her arousal faded abruptly, leaving her oddly cold as her thoughts sank in. For some reason, she now felt a twinge of remorse at what she was about to do. But she knew that it had to be done. She would not allow Manticore to dictate who she had sex with.

Shifting slightly, she moved behind Alec under the pretence of kissing the back of his neck. Her front was pressed against his back and her knees were resting down on the top of his thighs. This is it, she thought. Max gritted her teeth, hardening her resolve for what she was about to do next. With a swift move, she circled her arms around his neck and suddenly tightened her hold.

Alec stiffened in shock. “What the fuck!” he choked out. “Let me go!”

His hands were gripping her arms painfully, trying to pry them off, but Max had the advantage of surprise. In her position, Alec was effectively restrained. Her arms continued to apply a steady pressure to his neck, cutting of his air as she clamped down on her feeling of regret.

“Y-you bitch,” he rasped, struggling against her. “I c-can’t believe…”

Come on, just pass out! Please, Max urged silently.

Tensing suddenly, Alec’s muscles bunched up. In a blink of an eye, Max found herself flung together with Alec onto the hard floor, the impact jarring her bones. Not loosening her grip, she continued to cling on tenaciously to his neck, trying to ignore the raspy sounds escaping his lips.

It seemed to have taken forever, but Alec finally slumped against her, u*********s. Max swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling awful as she released him. Pulling herself to her feet, she put on her clothes with shaky hands.

Taking a deep breath, she told herself that it had to be done. She should not feel guilty, because Alec would gladly force himself on her anyway. In fact, she had not done much worse than what he had intended to do to her. Right?

Still unconvinced, Max made her way to the door. “Guards!” she called out through the open grill in the door.

A few seconds later, two guards appeared at her door, peering in cautiously. And then they noticed Alec’s u*********s body. “What happened in here?” one of them asked suspiciously.

Max replied levelly, “I think it got a bit too much for him. He passed out. Can you get him back to his cell?”

The guards looked unconvinced, but they nodded and proceeded to drag him out of the cell.

When the door slammed shut, Max sat back on her bunk, trying to make sense of what happened just now. It had gone further than she intended it to. Her original plan was just to tease him enough to distract him enough to get close to him for the chokehold, not actually participate fully in a making out session. She guessed she got a bit carried away, but she hated to admit that while it lasted, she had actually enjoyed it. Not that she wanted it to go any further.

The only problem she had was the fact that she was still feeling bad about what she had done to him. Shaking her head, she told herself to forget it. He deserved it anyway.

A small voice in her head mocked, yeah, whatever you need to tell yourself, Max.










Day 4


The cold expression on Renfro’s face mimicked the weather as she stared at the two transgenics in front of her in the training grounds. Alec kept his eyes locked straight to the front at some imaginary point, resisting the urge to turn to his side and throw his breeding partner a s**thing glare. A s**thing glare probably would not cut it. What that jumped-up chick needed was a serious lesson in discipline and maybe a stint or two in psy-ops, he glowered inwardly.

He wondered how Max would respond to the question Renfro had just asked with regards to their copulation.

“Copulation unsuccessful, ma’am,” Max replied tonelessly.

Alec heard Renfro ask frostily, “Now, can you tell me why it was unsuccessful this time, 452?”

Max remained silent.

Bad move, 452, Alec thought, anticipating Renfro’s annoyance at Max’s silence.

“I’m talking to you, 452!” Renfro snapped.

“X5-494 passed out, ma’am,” Max finally said.

Alec wanted to roll his eyes. He would not have passed out if she had not cut off his air supply. The bitch.

Renfro raised her eyebrows and stepped directly in front of Alec. “Is that true, 494?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Alec gritted out. Better keep it simple, he thought.

“I see,” the older woman said thoughtfully as she eyed him and Max. Alec did not like the contemplative look Renfro had on her face. His instincts were telling him that she was plotting something which did not bode well for the two of them. Last time was the punishment box. What did she have in store for them this time?

And then Renfro continued, “Clearly something needs to be done to… assist the two of you in this mission. I will look into it, but in the meantime, carry on as scheduled.”

Every single alarm in Alec’s head went off. Shit, now he knew for sure it was not something good. Renfro could not even be bothered to punish them, so what was she up to? Alec gritted his teeth, pushing back the overwhelming urge to shout at Max for landing them in more trouble.

And the fury he was feeling towards her now was nothing compared to how he had felt last night when he realised that she had been playing him, tricking him into submission. He had been suspicious at her sudden turnabout, but he had never expected her to do what she had done. It was an understatement of the century to say that he had been shocked to be so rudely choked from his highly aroused state.

Tonight, he would not allow himself to be so easily duped again. The mission was his priority, and he intended to complete it once and for all. With luck, he might even manage to keep Renfro from dragging him back to Psy-Ops.

He knew that Max would definitely not cooperate, so he would have no choice but to just do it the only way he could. Without her consent. It was for the best, he thought to himself. She had to know that there could be no other outcome to her stubbornness.

His mind set, Alec focussed his attention back to the morning drills.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Max joined the rest of the transgenics lining up in two lines at what she recognised as the sparring area at one end of the training grounds.

She flicked her eyes momentarily in Alec’s direction. He was standing in the line opposite hers with some of the other transgenics, his hands loosely clasped behind his back, his attention fixed on the pair sparring in front of them. The image of the perfect Manticore prototype.

Max did not know what she had expected from Alec after what she had done last night, but it was definitely not the calmness he had exhibited to everyone this morning, including her. It seemed unfair that she was the one who had to feel shaken while he carried on as if nothing had happened.

Well, he was not the one who had to be forced into some stupid breeding programme, she thought. Of course he was carrying on like normal. He was probably waiting for tonight to complete his mission. forcefully, she thought in disgust.

Yeah, Max. He definitely forced you last night, a voice sounded in her head.

Max frowned. Last night was different. She had to make him lower his guards to knock him out. The guy was better trained and physically stronger than her, much as she hated to acknowledge it. But he was still a guy, hence somewhat susceptible to feminine manipulation. Max had counted on that last night. And it worked like a charm.

Not that it actually helped when it came to Renfro.

Renfro’s interrogation unnerved her, and Max did not like it. The woman was plotting something fishy. Why else had she let the two of them off so easily this time? The whole thing just did not make sense.

The drill sergeant’s voice interrupted her thoughts. Max turned her attention back to the space in front of her to find a male transgenic pushing himself to his feet. Max saw him glance at his opponent out of the corner of his eyes and a grateful smile flitted across his lips, too brief for the sergeant to notice. His sparring partner gave him a curt, almost imperceptible nod before he walked back to the gap in the line-up.

Max’s brow went up. She was beginning to think that those who had remained behind in Manticore had their emotions all erased and their humanity completely squashed, but if what she had seen so far was any indication, she might have been wrong.

Before she could analyse her observation further, the drill sergeant called out, “Next! 452 and 494.”

Max froze. He’s got to be k**ding, she thought edgily. Alec was probably dying to show her how thoroughly he could beat her and the sergeant had given him the perfect chance. Great!

“X5-452! Step forward now!” the sergeant yelled when she failed to move.

Max straightened her spine and left the line, walking towards Alec. He was already in the sparring area, his feet apart and his arms held loosely at his side, appearing deceptively relaxed. But Max could see the sharpness in his eyes and hear the measured evenness of his breath, the telltale signs of his readiness for the fight.

The moment the drill sergeant gave the go-ahead, Max and Alec began to circle each other.

“So, what dirty trick do you have up your sleeve this time, 452?” Alec asked in a low voice, just enough for Max to hear it.

Guessing that it was Alec’s way to distract her, Max let his comment slide without replying. Instead, she kept her attention focussed on him, trying to gauge his opening move. Distraction was something she could not afford.

“Nothing to say, 452? Have to say that that’s a new one,” Alec continued to taunt her.

Max bit her tongue to stop herself from retorting.

“Hey, don’t try too hard. You can explode from all that pent up feeling. Let it out. You know you want to,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

Clenching her teeth, Max gritted out, “Shut up and fight, jackass.”

Alec smirked and continued to circle her. “Tsk, tsk, sweetheart, there’s no need for name calling.”

“There’s every need when talking to someone like you. And don’t call me sweetheart,” Max retorted, irritated at the perpetual smirk on his face.

“That’s harsh, especially coming from someone who’s supposed to be my breeding partner. Note the ‘supposed’. I can’t remember the last time we indulged in some breeding activity. Anyway, don’t you think that being your partner and all, I’m allowed to show you some…erm…signs of affection?”

Max could not help it. She snorted. “Yeah, right, dick-head. Like you know anything about that. I didn’t realise that Manticore had introduced lessons on something called ‘emotions’. Or did you skip that class?”

Alec adopted a wounded expression. “You love to hurt my feelings, don’t you? I’m being sincere here. Right from the bottom of my heart.”

Rolling her eyes, Max said, “I bet your heart is so deep that you’ll need like a couple of decades to get to the bottom of it. Now if-”

“452! 494! This is a sparring session, not a date. Now, commence sparring unless you’d like to pay a visit to the box,” the drill sergeant interrupted them, sending some of the other transgenics sniggering. Turning his attention back to the rest, the sergeant snapped in annoyance, “Eyes front!”

Max took that opportunity to lunge towards Alec, hoping to catch him off guard.

But he was too fast. In a blink of an eye, he sidestepped her axe-kick and made a grab for her foot. Max managed to spin around, crouching lower to sweep Alec’s feet from underneath.

He did not stay down long. Jumping back up, Alec blurred towards her, delivering a hard backhand to the side of her head. As her head snapped back, Max twisted out of the path of his sidekick, cursing under her breath. The hit to her head burned where his fist had connected with her cheekbones.

Springing off her bent knees like a cat, Max bounced off the ground, looking as if she was running in mid-air, as she headed straight for Alec’s head. She grinned as she saw Alec stepping to the side just as she swung her legs in the same direction. His eyes widened a little in surprise before her booted foot contacted with his chest, sending him sprawling to the ground with a loud thud.

As she landed, she heard a collective sharp intake of breath from the surrounding transgenics. Suppressing a satisfied grin, she watched as Alec pulled himself to his feet, his jaw tightly clenched.

“Not bad, 452,” she heard him say softly. Grudgingly, she realised.

Max just raised her brows in reply.

And then, before she could comprehend what his intention was, Alec blurred at her. She raised her hand to block his uppercut just in the nick of time. But the next thing she knew, his fist contacted with her midsection, knocking the wind out of her.

Doubling over, Max staggered back as she glared at him murderously. Damn, the idiot got some strength in those fists of his, she thought irritably.

But Alec was not done yet. Before she could straighten, he came at her with a spinning kick. Max tried to move out of the path of danger, but she was not fast enough. Although she managed to avoid a full-on contact, his kick still managed to catch her left arm, right where her limb met her body. Max squeezed her eyes shut as a sickening pop sounded just before she landed on her right side.

“That’s enough. 511 and 452, proceed to the infirmary,” the drill sergeant said, much to Max’s relief. “The rest of you report to weapons training after your showers. You are expected there at 1130 hours.”

She looked up to find Alec’s hand in front of her, his face blank of any emotions. She was suddenly inundated with a variety of feelings; anger, frustration, embarrassment and pain being the dominant ones.

Not wanting his help, especially considering that he would probably taunt her about it non-stop, she ignored his hand and deliberately looked away. Swallowing her groan of pain, she used her right arm to push herself up, barely hearing the murmurs from the crowd surrounding them.

Gritting her teeth against the pain in her left shoulder, Max joined another X5 who sported a bleeding surface cut on his head, also headed for the med bay. She did not bother to look back to Alec.

As they made their way there side by side, Max looked up in surprise when the X5 spoke.

“Hey, so you’re the infamous 452, huh? I’m 511,” he said casually.

Raising her eyebrows, she retorted, “What is it to you?”

Looking genuinely surprised, 511 held his hands up. “Whoa, there’s no need for that tone. I’m just making conversation. It’s quite a walk to the med bay, you know?”

Eyeing him warily out of the corner of her eyes, Max said tightly, “Forgive me for not being all happy and chirpy. A dislocated shoulder doesn’t do much for my mood.”

To her surprise, the X5 laughed, shaking his head. “No, I guess it doesn’t,” he said. And then, sobering up, he said, “494 should have held back a little.”

Max felt her hackles rise. Did they have such a low opinion of her that they all thought that he should have gone slow on her? Outwardly, she gritted out, “I can handle it.”

Obviously noticing her annoyance, 511 said calmly, “I’m not suggesting that you can’t. But as an unspoken rule, we don’t spar for real, we just try to make it LOOK real so that the sergeants leave us alone. What 494 did today was just an accident. He didn’t really mean it.”

Max stared at him, disbelief written clear across her face. “And I suppose that cut of yours is an accident too.”

511 shrugged. “Happens sometimes. I grazed it against a sharp piece of stone when I went down. 228 didn’t foresee that, and I don’t expect him to,” he explained. “Just like what happened with you and 494,” he added pointedly.

“I doubt it,” Max muttered under her breath. She guessed that what 511 said about holding back was true. After all, she had seen it with her own eyes when the pair before her sparred. But as for Alec, he probably had done it on purpose to pay her back for last night, that idiot.

A curious look on his face, 511 asked, “What makes you think that?”

“Long story,” Max replied shortly. Lengthening her steps, she turned into the wing which housed the med bay. The last thing she wanted was to tell 511 what had been happening during their ‘breeding’ sessions. The whole thing was messed up enough without having it being spread around the facility as fodder for gossip.

“Hey, wait up,” 511 called out just as he caught up with her. Lowering his voice, he asked, “Has this got anything to do with him being your breeding partner?”

Max stopped short. Swinging around to face him, she replied in a clipped tone, “No.”

511 rolled his eyes. “Okay, okay, I get the idea.”

Max glared at him.

“Look, I know you have issues with the guy, but don’t take it out on me,” 511 said, grinning.

Not bothering to answer, Max just yanked the door to the med bay open, keen on getting away from more of 511’s probing questions.

Once they were in the treatment room, both of them sat silently while the medics tended to their wounds.

As the nurse silently reset her arm, Max wondered how she was supposed to keep Alec at bay in her condition. Her dislocated arm would heal fast compared to any ordinary human, but she would still be weaker. And with Alec, she could not afford to be weak. She needed her full strength to deal with him.

With a sigh, Max resigned herself to coming up with other methods to thwart Alec’s intent that coming night.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The sound of military boots hitting the concrete floor at uniform intervals echoed through the hallway.

Alec’s lips compressed tighter as he approached Max’s cell. He was in no state of mind for any of her unreasonable resistance tonight. He was in a foul mood.

Ever since she had left the training ground that morning, he had been subjected to reproachful glares by quite a number of his fellow transgenics. Although these transgenics formed the minority of the population in the facility, Alec had still felt the effect of their reaction.

It was not as if he had intended to dislocate her arm on purpose. She should have ducked or sidestepped. Heck, she should have blocked. His intention was so clear that anyone could have seen it coming ages before his kick came into contact. The girl needed to be more alert.

Hell, why did he care anyway? Sparring had always been rough, whoever he trained with. It was what Manticore expected. It was what they were all trained to do. He was not about to make himself feel responsible for something which was not his fault. If Max wanted to blame anyone, she could blame Manticore.

Alec turned his head side to side, cricking his neck as he got to Max’s cell, subconsciously preparing himself for another confrontation. He suppressed the urge to groan in frustration as he watched the guard fumble with the lock.

Well, at least with her injury, maybe she would not bother to fight him off. Maybe she would finally let him complete this mission before Renfro decided to throw him into psy-ops as his punishment for inability to come up with results on such a simple mission. As it was, Alec was surprised that the blonde woman had not done so yet. She had been uncharacteristically tolerant of them. Normally, he would have guessed that she would send him to reindoctrination and replaced him with someone else. Renfro must really want their particular mix of DNA for Manticore’s new generation of transgenic k**dies.

As the door swung open, Alec stepped in warily.

Max was sitting cross-legged on her bunk, her back leaning against the wall. Her left shoulder was bandaged with a strip of white cloth. She stared straight at him with an unreadable look on her face.

Deciding to break the silence, he said awkwardly, “How’s that shoulder?”

Max raised her eyebrows. “Great. Never better. Thanks to you,” she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Alec frowned at her tone. “Hey, the sparring session was not any tougher than usual. If you have stayed like a good little transgenic, you won’t be having that dislocated shoulder,” he paused, and then added, “And if you hadn’t run away, we won’t be having this problem with unsuccessful copulation and by now, I’m positive that you’d be inseminated and I’ll be off to some other mission.”

She gave him a sweet smile which made him feel like throttling her, and then she said, “Oh, you poor thing. I feel so sorry for you, being stuck with little ol’ me. Hmm, how about this? I can give a good reference for you to get yourself another breeding partner.” Dropping the smile from her face, she continued stonily, “Because there’s no chance in hell you’re getting near me that way, dumbass!”

Alec shook his head slowly. The woman was just impossible. “Sweetheart, don’t flatter yourself. What makes you think that I want to be anywhere near you? This is just a job, my mission. OUR mission, actually. But you just can’t seem to understand that, can you?” he shot back.

Max jumped up into a standing position in front of her bunk, her hands on her hips. Glowering at him, she hissed, “And I can’t understand why it’s so hard for you to understand that the whole thing is just sick!”

“I’m done wasting time here. Let’s just get on with what we’re supposed to be doing,” Alec stated, striding towards her. It would seem like there was no way he could talk her into it, so he guessed that she left him with no other alternative but to proceed forcefully.

Stepping sideways away from him, Max snapped, “Back off, or you’ll be sorry.”

Alec smirked. He admired her resolve but what else could she possibly do to him this time? There was no chance that she would be able to pull the same trick on him again now that he was prepared and on guard. No chance at all.

“I promise you won’t regret it. Just don’t fight it,” he advised, and then followed his words with a feral grin.

Narrowing her eyes, Max spat, “Kiss my ass, you jerk.”

His face displaying an amusement he did not really feel, Alec said, “I would love to, sweetheart.”

He could feel her irritation emanating in waves from her. “Stop calling me ‘sweetheart’. My name is Max!” she practically shouted at him.

Unperturbed by her tone, Alec continued to advance towards her. “Don’t make this hard on yourself, Max.”

“I said, back off!” she repeated hotly, her hands clenched by her side.

He took another step and then suddenly blurred forward, trapping her in one of the corners. His two arms and his widespread legs pressed close to her, forming a human cage around her.

Ignoring her gasp of outrage and her struggles, Alec used his right arm to pin her left arm tight against the wall. Considering her injury, he was not surprised when she could not shake his arm off. But her right arm was definitely trying, he thought dryly as he pressed closer to avoid her hits.

He could feel the contours of her curvaceous body moulded against his. Unbidden memory of what had occurred the night before assaulted him. The feel of her lips against his, the feel of her breast against his hand, and the rest of the hot, steamy touches they had shared flashed across his eyes, clouding his mind even before he made any move to touch her intimately.

And his body responded instantly.

He swore inwardly at himself. This was no time to lose control. The hellcat in front of him would surely use that to her advantage, something he could not allow this time. The stakes were too high. The success of the mission and his survival in Manticore depended on him having a clear controlled mind, not one influenced by his wayward hormones.

Steeling his resolve, Alec grabbed her right wrist without losing hold of her left one, leaving one of his hands free to grab her top in his fists. With a hard yank, he tore her shirt clean down the middle, the sound of cloth ripping piercing the air. She was now struggling even harder, her legs kicking out in a futile attempt to dislodge him, but he had positioned himself in such a way that her kicks would not strike him.

“Get off me, you freak!” Max yelled into his ear.

Wincing at this new form of attack, Alec pulled his head back to look at her. “If I’m a freak, you’re one too. Now, just calm down and let me get this over with,” he said levelly, glad that his voice remained steady.

Baring her teeth at him, she spat, “You’re all sick, you, Renfro, Manticore…all of you! If you think for a minute that I’m going to calm down and let you **** me, you’re sadly mistaken. I’m not one of you, unfeeling and heartless soldiers, just treating this as another so-called mission. It is not JUST another mission, dumbass! It’s my body you’re talking about here. Mine! Not Manticore’s. Not yours!”

Temporarily rendered mute by her proclamation, Alec just gaped. He knew what he had to do, but a twinge of hesitance nudged him as her words penetrated. Unfeeling and heartless? Alec was not sure whether he should agree or not with that assessment.

Was he heartless? Was he incapable of feeling?

Heck, no!

It was simple; he had been given a mission. A mission he had to complete to ensure that his own interests remained protected in Manticore. Not to mention that he had to keep himself out of psy-ops and away from Renfro.

So why the hell was he hesitating?







“You’re all sick, you, Renfro, Manticore…all of you! If you think for a minute that I’m going to calm down and let you **** me, you’re sadly mistaken. I’m not one of you, unfeeling and heartless soldiers, just treating this as another so-called mission. It is not JUST another mission, dumbass! It’s my body you’re talking about here. Mine! Not Manticore’s. Not yours!” she yelled in outrage.

The hand holding her wrists suddenly tightened to the point of pain. Max felt a stab of fear when she realised that he easily held her immobile using only one of his hands to hold both her wrists over her head. She tried to push him off again by bucking her body against his, but he did not budge.

Well, he would have to move at some point if he wanted to complete this stupid mission. Max knew that she have to just wait for a suitable opening for her to get away from him.

She brought her eyes up just in time to see his eyes flickering uncertainly.

Why did he look so hesitant? Max wondered, breathing hard from the effort of pushing Alec off.

Was he finally developing a conscience? She almost snorted. Fat chance. From what she had seen, Alec was one hundred percent Manticore. The perfect soldier.

He had ripped her top down the middle, her sports bra exposed, but he was not looking down. His head was tilted to the side as he looked at her with a thoughtful expression.

“What? No smart-ass remarks this time?” Max taunted. Was she getting though to him after all? A small seed of hope flared inside her. Maybe the guy was not as amoral as she had thought him to be.

A second of silence passed between them before he smirked, shattering her small hope. His eyes hardened as he said softly, but clearly, “Listen to me, 452. You’re an X-Series Prototype, designed by Manticore. Bred in Manticore. Trained in Manticore. You’re a super-soldier, not quite human, not quite a****l. Yes, your body is not mine. But it’s not yours either, whatever you might want to think.”

Max blinked incredulously, not quite believing what she was hearing. Alec had never spoken in such serious tone before. She opened her mouth to retort, but he was not done yet.

“Project Manticore is the reason why you’re here today. Without Manticore, you won’t exist. You said that I’m unfeeling and heartless because I want to carry out my mission. I don’t know about heartless and unfeeling. But you’re right about one thing. This is JUST another mission to me.” He brought his face close to hers, his expression unyielding, and hissed, “I’ve been on missions where I killed people, young and old, male and female. This is what I do. I specialise in assassination. So don’t think for a second that I intend to fail this one simple mission just because you’re reluctant to do your part. Do you get me?”

Her heart thudded erratically, she did not know why. Fear? Most probably, much ash she hated to admit it. But she refused to let him have the satisfaction of seeing it.

Straightening her spine, she said, careful to inject the correct amount of mockery in her voice, “Are you done? Funny, I didn’t know that you could actually string that many words together. Quite a speech you have there.”

Ignoring her jibe, Alec said, “I don’t know why you insist on fighting. Don’t you understand that we’re soldiers, and that basically means following orders?”

Max glared at him and spat, “You tell yourself whatever you want to justify your own sick actions, but there’s no way I’m buying all that crap, asshole. Save your breath.”

“Fine. You want to do it the hard way, I see,” Alec said levelly, his expression hard.

Suddenly, he let go of her wrist only to twist around abruptly. Max suddenly found herself tossed as carelessly as a rag-doll onto her bunk. The bedsprings groaned in protest under the impact before she bounced sideways. She swallowed her pain as her injured shoulder hit the wall. Before she could move away, Alec pressed himself down on her, effectively immobilising her. It all happened in seconds.

His hand went between them, unsnapping her pant and unzipping them rapidly. A surge of blinding panic descended upon her, rendering her temporarily silent.

He was grasping her waistband in his hands to pull her pants down when Max finally found her voice. “Get off me!” she yelled, trying to buck him off her.

She tried to head-butt him but expecting her actions, he had tilted his head and shoulders away from her. His legs were aligned with hers, his knees holding her limbs down, but she continued to struggle, twisting from side to side.

Alec made a frustrated sound. “Stay still,” he ordered roughly.

“Or what?” she snarled, her arms snaking between them in an attempt to push him off. Her hand came into contact with the hard, rippling muscles of his abdomen and she had to force herself to ignore the answering female heat, the sign of betrayal of her own body.

Alec did not answer. She could see the chords in his throat straining as he struggled to pull her pants down.

“Damn it,” he swore aloud when her pants refused to slide past her hips. Their combined weight was making it difficult for him to undress her.

And then he lifted himself up.

Unrestrained, Max sat up immediately but before she could escape, Alec grasped her shoulders, trying to force her face down onto the mattress. She kicked out, her legs scissoring.

Alec did not move back soon enough. The impact of her feet against his thigh knocked him over, causing him to fall heavily onto the floor. Before he could get up, she got to her feet and blurred to the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he sounded amused as he stood up, much to Max’s disgust.

“Away from you, as if it’s not obvious,” she replied, her eyes flashing angrily. Her hand quickly went down to re-fasten her pants, not wanting to remain exposed to his gaze.

Alec smirked knowingly. “What? You’re shy?”

Max glared at him wordlessly.

He took a step towards her.

And she stepped back until she felt the cold metal door against her back.

Alec raised an eyebrow. “See, nowhere to run,” he said just before he lunged at her.

Max dodged, blurring past him a little before she twisted around, trying to backhand him. Alec grabbed her hand, stopping it just inches before it hit his face. Undeterred, Max kicked out at him, her leg sailing high in mid-air. Releasing her hand, Alec ducked and then moved back away from her.

Why was he not fighting back, she thought in confusion. All he had done so far was to block and avoid her hits. What was he up to?

Not wanting to waste anymore time wondering, she lashed out with her arms, aiming for his head. He sidestepped, turned around and grabbed her from the behind with both arms, lifting her off the floor. Max found herself immobile with his arms wrapped tight around her.

“Let me go!” she yelled in outrage.

“Ask nicely,” he said cheerfully.

“Bite me!” she snarled.

“Be patient. I’ll get to that in a minute,” he replied, smirking.

“Stop being such a smart-ass!”

“Hey, I can’t help being smart.”

She wanted to scream in frustration. Alec still held her, but at least her feet were on the ground now. Bringing her feet up, she tried to kick backwards at him.

“Give it up. You know it’s hopeless,” Alec advised, sounding oddly gentle.

“No!” Max snapped, renewing her struggles.

Then without warning, he pushed her face first down to the floor next to the bunk. Max could feel his weight on her back as Alec began to unfasten and then pull down her pants with one hand, ignoring her protests. She tried to push herself up, but he was too heavy, too strong and too intent on getting his mission done. Her wrist was held captive over her head.

She froze when she felt his hand skimming the back of her bare thighs, moving up to caress her rounded panty-clad backside. An unwanted hot flare of desire exploded in her senses. His touch was surprisingly soft, but she could feel every contact like a hot brand marking her.

He lowered himself, partially lying on her back. She could feel the evidence of his arousal pressing against her through his pants. Another unwanted burst of feminine response washed over her. She gritted her teeth, trying to ignore her traitorous hormones.

And then she felt his lips on the back of her neck, exactly where her barcode was. His teeth sc****d her skin roughly before he suckled it using his lips. Max swallowed a strangled moan at the sensation coursing through her body.

His hands travelled down her body, brushing against the side of her breast through the thin material of her bra, making her breath hitch in her throat. She felt him push his right hand between her and the hard floor, and the next thing she knew, he was kneading her breast roughly. An involuntary moan escaped her lips.

Max knew that she could not let it continue. It was all so wrong, but she could not help responding. It had felt like a long time since she had any physical contact of this sort and her body craved it. But she refused to let Manticore win. She needed to get Alec off her and she needed to do it now.

Max felt Alec’s breath against her ears, making her break out in goosebumps, before she heard a mocking, “Giving up so soon?”

She stiffened and immediately retorted, “Not a chance!”

Pushing up against him, Max twisted her body in an attempt to escape. A few moves later, all she managed to do was to flip herself onto her back. She glared at Alec as he smirked.

“Even better,” he uttered softly. One of his hands pinned her wrist over her head while another came down to caress her breast.

Gritting her teeth, Max hissed angrily, “Don’t touch me!”

“The mission requires me to touch you, whether you like it or not. I’m just trying to make it more pleasant for you,” Alec explained impatiently.

“I don’t need you to make things pleasant for me. I want you to remove yourself from me,” she spat, her face twisted in disgust. It bothered her that her body was responding to his touch so eagerly. But it bothered her even more that apart from the slight increase in his heart-rate and the dilation of his pupils, he appeared completely calm and unaffected whilst she struggled to maintain her composure. Max almost snorted. What else did she expect anyway? This was just a mission to him, she thought as she shot him a murderous glare.

Alec raised his eyebrows. “Or per