Chapter 8

"I'm home," Tanya called out. 'Marco... '

"Kitchen," Frank called, returning her call. 'Polo... '

Tanya walked into the kitchen, still wearing Jake's polo shirt and Béla's shorts. Frank had taken off Jake's clothes and was wearing a pair of his own shorts. He was looking into the fridge through the glass door, still deciding what he wanted to eat. His problem was that he wasn't hungry, but he knew that Tanya would be, because her healing and regeneration used a lot of energy and that energy had to be replenished.

"Hungry?" he asked, hoping she would suggest something.

"Not really," she said, then changed her mind, recognizing that empty gnawing in her stomach for what it was. "Starved, actually. What do we have?"

"Well, not much," he replied. The citizens of Solar City were on rations, now, because of the collapse of civilization outside their mountain hideaway. No food came in except what the Femme Fatales could filch from the ever-growing Confederacy, which was quite a lot, actually. But now, if you were hungry, you had to go to the Community Center where a permanent chow line was set up. That way, food usage was completely controlled and there was practically no waste. Also, no one went hungry.

"We have cheese, and," he looked, hoping to find something more. Bread and cheese were still handed out as requested, along with milk when it was available, and individual pieces of fruit. "Cheese."

"Cheese, please," Tanya said, not really interested in what was available. She didn't complain, though, because things weren't going to get any better than this. She just hoped they didn't get any worse. She and her teammates were thieving their very best to keep the community fed and supplied.

Frank turned on the electric grill – they had plenty of power from the solar panels high in the mountains above them – and dropped at pat of grease on it to melt. While it melted, he cut several slices of bread from the long loaf in the fridge. Then he began frying the bread in the thin layer of melted grease. While it fried, he slices several pieces of cheese and dropped them onto the grill, as well.

Tanya came over and watched him work, resting her chin on his shoulder and pressing her magnificent, very distracting breasts softly into his back. The cheese was melting nicely and starting to bubble and darken. That was how she liked it – almost burnt and crispy on the outside. Sometimes she even ate it that way without any bread. But then, the greasy mess always rumbled in her stomach afterward.

Frank moved with ponderous sways back and forth from stove to counter and back, carrying most of Tanya's weight with him as her chin was hooked over his left shoulder. She watched anxiously as he put the sandwiches together, then cut off the excess cheese that protruded from the slices of grilled bread.

As he swept the cut-off edges of cheese into the palm of his hand, Tanya opened her mouth, digging her chin into his shoulder blade. Chuckling at her antics, Frank began to hand feed her the little pieces of cheese, enjoying her munching and grinding her chin into his shoulder, as well as the motion of her throat as she swallowed the little morsels. What he enjoyed most, though, was the feel of her wonderful, warm breasts pressing lovingly into his back.

When the cheese bits were gone, he twisted his head around, managing to brush her cheek with his lips, kissing her gently. Then he shrugged her off him, and carried the two plates over to the kitchen table. She followed and sat down with him.

They ate in silence, not wanting to break the lighthearted mood that Tanya had created while he fixed her little supper. (Breakfast? Whatever... )

"The new ship design will be ready to test in a couple more months," he mentioned, aware that Tanya, so often out in the field these days scouting for food storage and supply depots to raid across the nine states of the Confederacy, was probably not current with the news on the home front, as it were – the huge (to him) spaceship that was being constructed in synchronous orbit high above them.

The magnetic drives were the most difficult part of the construction. Nothing like them existed in earth technology. The technology had to be built from scratch and it was definitely a learning process, filled with an incredible array of errors. They'd actually installed the first drive inside the ship before testing it, and it had completely wrecked eight years of construction in only the few seconds it was operating, crushing or rupturing most of the space capsules of which the main body of the ship consisted.

That was five years ago. They still didn't have a working prototype. Even steel beam construction was warped out of shape and evacuated the atmosphere into space when the huge magnetic drive was activated.

Neither of them wanted to think of the possibility that they might not be able to construct a ship large enough and sturdy enough to transport the entire six hundred plus denizens of Solar City to New Eden.

"What'd you get me?" Tanya asked, sounding more pleasant than she felt. She needed to concentrate on the moment. If she thought about the future, she became terribly depressed. There were too many problems and not enough time on this dying planet to solve them.

"Well, I'm not sure you'll want it now," Frank said, finishing his meager sandwich. He got up and opened a drawer. "Come 'ere."

Tanya got up and walked over to him. He turned and hugged her against him. "How do you feel?" he asked.

Tanya didn't really understand what he was asking. They'd made love earlier today and she'd felt great, then. She simply wasn't sure how she felt right now. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Then she felt it – something sharp pressing against the small of her back. Frank was threatening her? Her heart leaped in sudden fear. She gasped as he pressed harder.

"Does that make you horny?" he asked simply, "or scared?"

"Scared," she replied honestly. The pricking sensation was suddenly gone.

"Then you won't want my present," he said, tossing the paring knife onto the counter. Tanya looked at him, not understanding what he was getting at.

"You've gone back to the way you were," he explained, seeing her confused look. "Before you were skewered, I mean." She still didn't understand.

"I got you a bondage wheel," he explained. "But I got that for a pain-thirsty sex-mad blond amazon who was only interested in experiencing as much pain and mutilation as her body could stand.

"That's not you anymore," he continued. "We made love this morning. We haven't made love like that for quite a while. It was beautiful. It was love, no lust, no pain-driven need." Tanya stood, stunned, her arms limply draped over Frank's shoulders.

"I had no idea you felt that way," she said, finally. "I've been really selfish, haven't I?" She kissed him gently. "I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?" She pressed her whole body against his, enjoying the sensation that pressing against him always gave her.

"Of course," he said, grinning. "I wasn't trying to make you feel guilty about expressing your needs."

"Goody!" she exclaimed. "Can you show me my wheel, now?" She grinned at him, then began laughing at his expression of pure disgust.

Then he laughed, too. "Sure." He led her to her current sanctuary and opened the door. Inside and right in the middle of the floor was a large metal stand. Protruding from the center of it, about four feet up from the ground, was a large barrel with straps screwed into it. There were two other wheels, higher up; one with leather straps dangling down and the other was rimmed with short, but very sharp metal spikes.

Tanya frowned, looking at it. "Looks interesting ... How's it work?"

Frank led her over and backed her up against the barrel. He pulled her polo shirt off and tossed it aside, then pulled down her shorts. Tanya helped him by kicking them off her feet. "Okay," he said, "Now lie back on the barrel, sweetheart."

She gingerly balanced as the barrel tried to turn with her weight, then, becoming more used to the feel and balance of the device, she lay back, her back arcing along the curve of the barrel. She raised her hands past her head and on around the barrel, knowing that was expected of her.

"This is just like my old water wheel," Tanya mentioned, her voice strained from the arch in her back and the fact that her head was upside down.

Frank began to strap her down. When he had her arms strapped tightly down, he ran a strap over her shoulders and breastbone below her neck and tightened it down, then ran another strap over her ribcage below her breasts. Her breasts were now nicely displayed and available for whatever he might want to do to them.

One more strap went around her waist and another tightly secured her hips and pelvis. She yelped as Frank turned the barrel to bring her legs around so he could strap them down, too.

Soon she was completely immobile and secured tightly around the barrel. He finished by tying the straps holding each foot secure to the strap holding her wrists. Tanya was completely upside down now, and blood was rushing to her head. She felt totally exposed, as her bare pussy was at the top of the barrel.

"What's this pan for?" she asked, her body upside down and her head dangling over a wide, shallow drip pan.

"Oh, blood, vomit," Frank assured her, sounding very casual, "whatever comes out."

"Great," Tanya murmured, sounding a little uncertain about this new adventure.

"Comfy?" Frank asked cheerfully. He chuckled at the gurgling sound she made. He knew she was enjoying it. She always liked being tied up and tortured.

Tanya yelped as he turned the motor on and the barrel began turning slowly around. He stood, watching her incredibly sexy body pass by, then began running his finger along her sensitive skin as she turned. He tickled her stomach when it came around again, and held his hand in position, letting her strapped down body pass under his fingertips.

After several turns around, he realized that he could have more access to her body if the barrel was turning the other way. Instead of leading with her head, if she was leading with her ... um, feet...

He reached up and shut off the motor. When the barrel stopped, he flipped the switch the other way. Now, the barrel began turning slowly counterclockwise.

"I'm going backwards," Tanya mentioned, certain that he already knew it.

"Yeah?" Frank replied, wondering what her complaint was.

"Remember that cheese sandwich?" she reminded him. A moment later, she produced it. She missed the drip pan.

When she was ready to continue, he began tickling her body again, starting with her legs and letting her hips and belly pass under his wiggling fingers. As her breasts went by, he flipped her nipple with his fingernail. Tanya yelped, then glared at him as her head went by.

As her legs reappeared, Frank spread two fingers, and held his hand so that one finger touched each leg. As the barrel continued around, his fingers traced their way up her thighs, diving deeper between her legs as they approached her pussy. He stroked her pussy lips as they went by, and continued tracing his way up her stomach to her breasts, then flipped the same nipple again. It was stiffer now that it had been before. She still gave him a dirty look when her head went by.

He did the same thing again. This time, her pussy left a streak of moisture on his fingers and her nipple was definitely hard. Her eyes were closed this time as she went by again.

The next time, he held his fingers stiffly together and slid them up her legs, ramming them into her pussy as it went by. Tanya cried out, and struggled against her straps. She couldn't move at all with her back already arced around the barrel and her feet and hands tied down.

"Harder next time!" she yelped as she went by again. This time, he rammed his hand into her pussy, almost punching it. Tanya cried out again. She was definitely wet and had evidently already had an orgasm.

He flipped the motor switch to the 'off' position as her feet came around again. As her legs passed by, going more slowly, Frank positioned his hand between them, fingers and thumb tucked into his palm. Tanya grunted at the impact as his knuckles slammed into her pussy lips, then cried out as his entire hand sank right into her pussy. The barrel came to a sudden halt as her entire weight shoved against his arm, burying his hand deep inside her cunt.