Espino Stacey - Womankind [Forbidden Attraction] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  Forbidden Attraction

  Womankind

  In Nova’s world, women rule. Since a child, society preached to her about the evils of men, but how could all men be bad? She’s never seen a man in the flesh…until assigned to prison duty.

  Damon isn’t like the other prisoners. He makes her question everything, and does wicked things to her body. She’s his warden and forced to dominate over him in public. Behind closed doors, she gives Damon the freedom to master her body, heart, and soul.

  But how can they have a future together when their love is forbidden?

  Note: This book contains anal sex.

  Genre: Futuristic

  Length: 21,341 words

  WOMANKIND

  Forbidden Attraction

  Stacey Espino

  EROTIC ROMANCE

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Erotic Romance

  WOMANKIND

  Copyright © 2010 by Stacey Espino

  E-book ISBN: 1-60601-966-X

  First E-book Publication: November 2010

  Cover design by Jinger Heaston

  All cover art and logo copyright © 2010 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter from Stacey Espino

  Regarding Ebook Piracy

  Dear Readers,

  Thank you for purchasing Womankind from BookStrand.com and their legitimate distributors. If you enjoy this book, I encourage you to recommend it to your friends and family so they can buy their own copies.

  Please do not share your copy or upload it to file sharing websites as this is both illegal and unethical. As authors, we rely on royalties from sales to earn a living. A lot of creativity, heart, and soul go into each book we write.

  Please continue to purchase your personal copies of e-books and recommend others to do the same.

  Purchasing from legal distributors allows authors to continue writing the stories they love, for people who love to read.

  With deep gratitude,

  Stacey Espino

  DEDICATION

  Dedicated to women everywhere. We rule!

  WOMANKIND

  Forbidden Attraction

  STACEY ESPINO

  Copyright © 2010

  Chapter One

  “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”

  Albert Einstein

  Rain fell in torrents, but Nova kept running at a punishing pace. The darkness made navigating the forest difficult, but she didn’t falter. No man would escape on her watch, especially not her first week on the field. Twigs slapped her face, and her legs burned from exertion. She noticed the lights from Medera’s laser rifle in her peripheral vision. Her teammate ran a parallel path, not far in the distance. Dark shadows accompanied the sound of her heavy breathing, rain pelting the forest canopy, and underbrush crunching beneath her boots.

  Nova had to make the capture.

  This would prove to herself and her superiors she was worthy of the position as a Man-Hunter. But Medera was ruthless and getting to the target first would be a challenge in itself.

  The muffled static of her headset stole her attention. “Nova. There’re two of them.”

  Two men? Nova’s nerves flared. She’d never dealt with one, never mind two. Of all the horror stories she heard from her mother and grandmother, the prospect had her heart beating triple time.

  They emerged into a small clearing. The forest ended abruptly near the edge of a cliff, and the two runners had nowhere to flee. Medera trained her laser on the head of the first man, the red beam quivering between his eyes, as she stalked slowly forward. Both men held up their hands in surrender, facing the two Man-Hunters.

  “Thought you could escape?” Medera chuckled. “Where would you go? This is a woman’s world. Never fucking forget it.” The shot came with a flash of light, and the man fell in a heavy heap to the grass floor a second later.

  “What the hell, Medera!” Nova stared in shock and horror at the lifeless body now sprawled out at unnatural angles before her. The darkness and heavy rain blurred her vision, making the scene surreal. She wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve, trying to see if the body still moved. They were hired to capture the men and return them to prison, not kill.

  “They’re like fucking cockroaches, Nova. Too many of them.” She had to shout over the roar of the rainfall. “One less man is one less problem, in my opinion.”

  The second runner continued to hold his arms upstretched. His body trembled in the camouflage rags he wore. She’d never seen a man in the flesh. Though they were surrounded by darkness with only a gentle cast of moonlight, she could make out the masculine lines of his face and the broadness of his shoulders under his jacket. Men were indeed built differently. Tall and sturdy. Her curiosity soared being so close to such a forbidden menace. It seemed a shame to kill something so unique and endangered, even if men were deadly.

  “You can’t do this, Medera. I’m taking this one in.” Nova moved in close and wrapped her hand around the man’s thick arm. “Let’s go,” she ordered. The man looked at her briefly. His dark eyes never hinted at his next actions. In a blur of motion, he swung her around until his arm was clamped around her neck and her back pressed firmly against his body. Immediately, she felt her air supply being cut off as she struggled futilely. Nova had aced all her training exercises, but still, this man’s strength astonished her.

  Another flash of light and the tight hold around her throat released. The man fell to the ground behind her. She gasped for breath and lost her balance, dropping down on top of him, her elbow digging into the motionless body as she struggled to upright herself.

  “Trust. Never trust a man.” That’s all Medera said before she walked away, disappearing into the forest.

  Nova stopped fighting and collapsed to her back beside the bodies, covering her face with her hands. She cried. Mostly, she felt like a fool for being out-bested by the enemy. She scolded Medera, her superior, but Nova wasn’t righteous, just a newbie Hunter with no experience. If it weren’t for her partner, she could have ended up dead, or worse, if all the stories were true. Being in the arms of such power frightened Nova, and she never wanted to feel that way again. Ever. Death had stared her in the face and now laughed at her as she struggled to compose herself.

  The cool, damp earth penetrated her uniform from behind as the rain pelted the hands covering her face. At least the rain could conceal her tears. She didn’t want to appear weaker in front of Medera than she already had.

  A dozen thoughts and images swirled through her mind. She remembered her feelings seeing two males for the first time, the thrill of running through the forest in pursuit of her target, and those dark, haunting eyes that would never look upon her again.

  * * * *

  Nova opened the passenger door and dropped into her seat, a soaking, muddy mess. Medera started the engine and pulled onto the roadway.

  “It gets easier,” she said.

  Nova wanted to appear strong and tough like the other hunters, but inside, she was an emotional mess. “I’m fine.”

  “Sure.” Medera pulled onto the highway. The roads were clear at this hour. Streetlight after streetlight highlighted the lonely strips of asphalt being assaulted by torrential rain. “Was that your first kill?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You’ll learn, Nova. I think we all started out with trust and good intentions. But those bastards will stab you in the back the first chance they get. Men are masters of deception. Remember that if nothing else.”

  Masters of deception indeed. Nova’s throat constricted with her rising emotions. Damn, she felt like crying again. She was angry,
shocked, hurt, and everything in between. “Do-Do you remember when men were free?” It was a question that often plagued her thoughts.

  “A bit. I was only eighteen at the time of the culling. I had two brothers and a father. It wasn’t easy, but we all know it was for the best.”

  “Were they as feral as the stories make them out to be?”

  “Worse.” They arrived at the parking lot of their headquarters, and Medera turned off the engine. They sat in reflective silent with the rain creating a static hush as it hit the roof of the car. “I’ve known too many women that went through hell back then. The world is a better place now, Nova. Try and think of it that way. What we’re doing is a service to womankind.”

  Nova nodded, affirming her loyalties. With a deep inhale, she cast aside her sympathy and built herself stronger. A barrier if nothing else. By the time her training was over, she’d be just as cold and hard as Medera.

  * * * *

  After the lengthy shift, Nova could only think about crashing on her bed and going numb for a good twelve hours. Numb was good, much safer than caring or reflecting. The world was a crazy place. Though she’d been raised in the new system, surrounded only by women, their way of life never felt natural. She was always filled with questions that were never answered to her satisfaction.

  “That you, Nova?”

  “Just me, Mom.”

  Nova began peeling off her outer garments, safety vests, and gun belts, letting them fall to the white ceramic tiles in the foyer. Once free of the heavy layers and wearing only her gray long johns and undershirt, she entered the family room, where her mother sat reading a romance novel.

  “Wet one out there. Come sit with me and get warmed up.”

  Nova pulled the old crocheted blanket off the top of the sofa and wrapped it around herself before settling beside her mother. Their home was small, and they shared the only bedroom. Being just the two of them, it didn’t matter. Her mother set her book on the wooden side table and began stroking her hair. Nova closed her eyes and drifted as her mother caressed her gently and hummed a soothing melody. The storm outside raged on, adding to the comfort of being safely nestled against her mother.

  “Mom?”

  “What is it, sweetheart?”

  “Why did you name me Nova?”

  “Because you’re special. You’re going to do great things with your life.”

  She swallowed her pride and opened up to her mother. “I failed today. One moment of weakness almost cost me my life.”

  Her mother sat up straight and made direct eye contact. She knew Man-Hunting was a dangerous career, but equally honorable. “You must be careful, Nova. The first chance he gets, a man will kill you. What on earth would I do without you?”

  Nova twisted to face her mother. “They can’t all be bad, can they? What about my father? Your father? Brothers, uncles, cousins, sons? Were they all so evil?”

  “Yes!”

  “How can that be true? You read romance after romance. Why? Men don’t exist for us. Do those books have any basis in truth? Can men love?”

  Her mother stood up and tucked her hair behind her ears in irritation. “I don’t want to hear you talking like this. It’s dangerous talk, Nova. The world is a better place now. Sure, sometimes sacrifices need to be made, but they’re for the greater good, so we make them. You were only six years old at the culling. You have no idea what it feels like to be ruled by a male, and I never want you to, either.”

  She stifled the urge to continue arguing. “I’m sorry.”

  Her mother’s gentle smile made its reappearance. “Why don’t you take a nice, hot bath? I’m heading off to bed.”

  As soon as the bedroom door clicked shut, Nova dropped down on the sofa in a heavy, exhausted heap and stared at the stucco ceiling. Her mind found shapes and the image of that man’s eyes looking back at her. She blinked her eyes shut tight and massaged her temples. Everyone said the same thing: the world was a better place without men. One almost killed her. Then why did she feel that something wasn’t right? Why did her instincts keep screaming at her to be impartial?

  All her life, she tormented her mother with questions. She received the same reply time and time again which answered nothing, only enforced the general blind acceptance of the new order. How could every male be bad?

  Nova decided to take up the suggestion of the hot bath. Her skin was cold and clammy from being in damp clothes for so many hours, and she needed to unwind.

  As the bathroom filled with steam and the scent of vanilla bubbles, Nova stripped off the remainder of her clothes. Her long blonde hair rolled out of its loose knot and fell down her back and over one shoulder. She studied her figure in the mirror, tracing her finger from one beauty mark on her chest to the next on her stomach. This body, wasn’t it made to bond with a male? How could nature be wrong? She massaged her clit in gentle circles and closed her eyes from the sudden burst of sensation that scattered through her body. Her knees felt weak.

  One day, her mother would expect grandchildren. She’d visit one of many laboratories and get artificially inseminated. If she was discovered to carry a male during pregnancy, she could either abort or wait until it was born and give it up, or live temporarily in one of the designated compounds until he turned eight. Then she’d have to hand him over to a transition shelter until he was forced to join the males in one of the prison wards when he turned sixteen. Why did her consciousness scold her, telling her this practice was unacceptable? Why was she the only one that seemed to have a problem with the idea of giving up a male child? Better not to have children at all, in her opinion.

  Nova sank down into the heat of the water with a throaty groan. As her leaders often reminded her, all her pleasures were possible due to a world ruled by women. The new order of womankind changed everything for the better. Women were fair, logical, and had self-control. If men still had power, even the simple pleasure of taking a bath wouldn’t be possible. You’d have to lock your doors and bolt your windows in fear of a home invasion or rapist sneaking in.

  She ran her hands over her sudsy breasts and watched as her nipples pebbled. Her pussy clenched, and she desired something more than just her hand caressing the swollen nub time and time again. What was she missing? The number of lesbian relationships had skyrocketed since the culling, but Nova had no desire for a girlfriend.

  The new order never intended for women to take the place of men in relationships. Women were just expected to give thanks and embrace their independence. But the natural desire to connect, to love, couldn’t be denied. It seemed everyone sought companionship wherever they could or followed a path of loneliness like Nova.

  She focused on her education and getting accepted as a Man-Hunter, the most respected position in society. As she teased her clit, slowly inserting a finger into her tight sheath, she remembered how she felt when she witnessed the broadness of that dead man’s shoulders and his uncommon height. Her breathing hitched, her pulse pounded in her ears. Something about just looking at him fired new desires within her. Her body seemed to know what it needed more than womankind. Just imagining a male filling her, calming the ache deep within, brought her orgasm that much closer. Men were dangerous, mysterious, and forbidden. Why did the forbidden fruit have to be so tempting?

  Chapter Two

  As soon as she opened the door to the headquarters the next day, hoots and hollers filled the room. “Way to go, Meyers!”

  “Your first kill!”

  Nova met eyes with Medera, who smiled and looked away.

  Kelly wrapped a heavy arm around her shoulders and led her into the center of the group. They huddled around her with eagerness. “So, tell us…how was it letting those two bastards have it? Did they beg?”

  When she looked to Medera for clarification, she only nodded once. She must have told them Nova did the killings. It was a friendly gesture to help Nova fit in with the Man-Hunters, but she had no pride in being associated with the deaths. She signed up for this, but she expected to guard and capture, not kill.

  “It was nothing. Really. Just a couple of escapees.”