Thinking of that made her realize she hadn’t had a bath or shower since before the Varians had attacked her mother’s house. She’d had a kind of quick sponge bath up in the Med Center of the Kindred Mother ship, but that hardly counted. Suddenly she felt grimy. Ugh—she was definitely going to get a nice long soak in the tub tonight. Well…she eyed the deep sides of the tub uncertainly…if she could get in and out of it by herself without re-injuring her leg, that was.
Bathroom taken care of, she hobbled swiftly to the tiny kitchen and surveyed it with a frown.
The crumbs on the counters were easily swept away and she put away the cereal boxes and instant ramen packs quickly enough. But the sink was full of dishes and there was no quick fix for that.
At least the dishes weren’t crusty with drying food or anything like that. Melli was always careful to rinse everything off before she put it in the sink. It was just that after she rinsed it, she rarely got around to actually washing it until just about everything in the dorm was dirty and she was completely out of dishes, bowls, cups, and silverware to eat from. Then she would do a big wash, all at once, and take care of everything only to start the cycle again the next day.
Unfortunately, she had been just at the point of doing a big wash right before she’d gone to her mom’s house for movie night and ended up being attacked by aliens and taken to the Mother Ship. So just about everything in the dorm was dirty and Melli doubted she had time to clean it up before Liosh got back.
Still, she rolled up her sleeves and got to work. She had filled half the sink with hot, soapy water and was sliding in the first pile of dishes when there was a knock at the door and Liosh came back in, his arms filled with bags of clothes and the food from the food court.
He frowned when he saw Melli standing at the tiny sink.
“What are you doing? Why are you standing on your injured leg, my Lady?”
“Oh, um—my place is kind of a mess,” Melli confessed, feeling her cheeks get hot. “I just…didn’t want you to think I was a slob. And I’m being careful—see?” She motioned down to where she was standing stork-like only on her good leg and keeping the other one carefully off the floor.
Liosh’s frown deepened.
“I still don’t like it. Here, let me help you over to sit down and I will finish this.”
“You will?” Melli squeaked. “But, um, you mean you don’t mind doing dishes?” Her father had never helped around the house at all in any way—well, other than traditionally masculine duties like getting the car fixed if it broke down and opening tight jar lids and things like that. So the idea that the big Kindred might be willing to do dishes—especially dishes he’d had no hand in dirtying—was surprising to her.
But Liosh only shrugged.
“Why shouldn’t I help with the domestic duties while I’m staying with you? It’s only fair, don’t you think?”
“I, uh, guess so,” Melli said hesitantly. “But, well, you didn’t even help make this mess.”
He shrugged again.
“That doesn’t mean I can’t help clean it up. Come—I don’t like seeing you on your feet when you’re supposed to be careful of your leg.”
He helped her over to the little blue overstuffed loveseat and got her settled with her leg propped up on some cushions. Then he went back to the tiny kitchen and Melli heard him humming happily to himself as he washed the dishes.
Wow…she couldn’t help thinking. What a great guy!
Were all Kindred this nice? If so, every girl should have one.
Nine
Vorn looked around the room he had been assigned with a frown. He had taken off his crimson uniform shirt in order to change into something less formal for supper, but now he found he had nowhere to hang it. Bare-chested, he wandered around the small room, wondering if there were any kind of hanging or storage facilities available but finding none.
He supposed he could ask Jodi, but he could still hear her voice murmuring into the phone, presumably ordering them Last Meal, and he didn’t like to interrupt her. There was a small door across from the bed. He had thought that maybe it led to the fresher but it was worth a try.
Pulling open the door, Vorn sucked in a breath and was nearly knocked over by the sudden intense barrage of scents.
This was where the other smells that permeated the small room were coming from, he realized—the scents of leather and latex he had noticed earlier were all coming from this tiny storage area.
Surprisingly, the source of the smells was not immediately apparent. There was no leather or latex in sight. Just a clothing rack filled with hangers and on each one seemed to be a warm, puffy piece of clothing that would only be comfortable in a much colder climate.
Vorn pulled one out, still on the hanger and puzzled over it. It was soft and pink and furry and had long sleeves. He thought he had heard humans call this kind of garment a “sweater” or some of them called it a “jumper.” But why Jodi needed such garments—and so many of them—when even in the supposed winter season here, it was warm enough to walk outside with nothing but a thin shirt on, was more than he could understand.
Well, maybe she took trips to colder climates sometimes, he reasoned to himself. That was certainly possible since this part of the Earth was warmer than a lot of places on the small green-blue planet.
He was about to wedge the sweater back into the packed storage area when he noticed that the garment next to it was neither warm nor puffy. Pulling it out, he examined it in surprise.
The garment dangling from this hanger was most certainly not a sweater. It was a long, slinky dress which appeared to be made entirely of black latex. There was no doubt it would be skin-tight on Jodi—if she was the one wearing it.
A quick sniff left no doubt in his mind—she had definitely worn this—and in the recent past, too. Damn…and she had been hot while she was wearing it.
Vorn started to put it back, aware that his shaft was rock hard in his trousers, when he saw yet another garment which was not a sweater.
Pulling it out, he found it was a kind of corset—at least, he thought that was what humans called this kind of thing. It was made of red leather and it laced up the front with black ties. Black lace trimmed the edges of the cups which would hold the breasts.
Jodi’s breasts, Vorn thought, before he could stop himself. Somehow he couldn’t help picturing her in the red leather corset—her generous curves on display and her full breasts spilling out the top, maybe even showing a hint of rosy pink nipple…
Taking a deep whiff of the leather corset, he knew she had been wearing it recently too. And she had been hot and bothered while she had it on.
Was this what she did in here? Get all dressed up and touch herself? Damn, he could just see her now, strutting around in these sexy little outfits, spreading her legs to stroke her hot, wet pussy…
Stop. Stop right fucking now.
Vorn had to shake himself mentally. This was wrong—completely wrong. If Jodi had wanted him to see these things, she would have left them out. Instead, she had hidden them away like a secret only for her. He had to respect her privacy. Had to put this stuff away and never look at it—or smell it—again.
He forced himself to hang everything up just where it had been and decided he would just drape his clothes over the foot of the bed. But…He frowned. His hostess seemed to like things really neat and clothes all over the bed would look messy. Maybe he could put his uniform shirt back into the carry-all cube and store the cube at the top of the small storage area. There seemed to be room on the shelf, which was higher than his eye-line.
Taking the cube, he attempted to fit it into the small space—only to find it wouldn’t go. There was something in the way—something obstructing it.
Putting down the cube, Vorn reached up and felt something round and flat. He pulled it off the shelf and found he was holding a kind of collar in his hand.
Vorn turned it over in his hand, studying it. It looked the right size to fit a woman’s sl
im neck and was studded with rhinestones that formed little hearts and stars. On the front, in the same, fake, glittery jewels he read, Sex Kitten.
Sex Kitten? What in the Seven Hells does that mean?
Vorn frowned. He was pretty sure that a kitten was the immature form of the Earth animal called a cat. It was a small, furry creature that made a low, rumbling sound when you stroked it—he had been able to see one once at a friend’s domicile.
They were most agreeable animals, but Vorn couldn’t help wondering why one would equate them with sexual encounters. It was all very strange.
Well again—not his business.
Shrugging, he went to put the collar back in its place but this time his searching fingers found something else—something long and thick and cylindrical.
Frowning and wondering what in fuck he’d found now, Vorn pulled the thing down off the high shelf—and nearly dropped it.
“Holy fuck,” he muttered, staring at it.
It was a phallus, almost as large as his own, made of bright purple plastic. Other than the vivid color, the phallus was life-like—right down to the broad, plum-shaped head and the ridges and veins on the shaft.
Before he thought about it, Vorn brought it to his nose and sniffed experimentally.
Seven Hells!!!
His shaft was suddenly so hard he felt like it might tear a hole through his tight leathers. The scent of Jodi’s ripe pussy was all over the bright purple phallus. It was absolutely the best damn thing he’d ever smelled and it made him so fucking horny that he could hardly think straight.
Need to jerk off, he thought hazily. Gods, this is too damn much. She can’t put me in a room with all this stuff that has her scent on it and expect me to just ignore it!
He supposed it would be like putting a human in a room full of pictures of naked females. Which was nice—of course it was. But the scent of a ripe and ready pussy was more attractive to Vorn any day. And this was almost more than he could stand.
Have to put this damn thing away—I can’t just stand here holding it, he told himself roughly. Have to—
And that was the exact moment Jodi walked into the room.
“I have the Chinese place on the line,” she said. “So if you want to pay…”
The words died in her mouth as she stared at what he was holding.
Vorn felt his face go hot.
“I can explain—” he began.
“Down. Put it down right now!” Jodi’s own cheeks were flushed too and her eyes were narrowed in anger and embarrassment.
“I will—of course I will! I didn’t mean to grab the damn thing in the first place,” Vorn growled.
Hastily, he started to put the phallus back. He still had his shirt in the other hand so he fumbled a bit with it. But he must have somehow pressed some hidden switch because the purple phallus suddenly came to life in his hand.
“What the actual fuck?” Vorn growled as the damn thing began to vibrate and then rotate around and around like it had a life of its own.
For a long moment he and Jodi both watched it twisting and writhing in his hand like a crazy snake desperate to escape. Then Jodi’s face went completely red and she shouted,
“Oh my God, what is wrong with you? Drop it—just drop it!”
Reflexively, Vorn did as she said. The purple phallus fell to the wooden floor with a sharp crack and was abruptly still.
“Well fuck,” Vorn muttered. “I killed it.”
Jodi looked down at the phallus, her face first red, then white with rage. Two little white dents appeared at the sides of her nostrils and her jaw clenched with fury. At last she pointed a finger at Vorn and said two words.
“Get. Out.”
Then she turned and stormed out of the room, leaving him stunned, with the purple phallus lying broken on the floor.
Ten
“So you said you would show me some of your social media,” Liosh reminded Melinda after they had finished eating and the remains of the food was stored in the small cold unit in her food prep area. Not that he wanted to see pictures of emaciated females, but he had heard a lot about the Earth’s Internet and was interested to try it for himself.
“Oh, of course. Here—hand me my laptop, please.” Melinda pointed to the small computing device and Liosh got it and settled beside her on the small couch in the living area which she had called a “loveseat.”
You would certainly need to love someone to sit in it with them, Liosh thought. It was extremely cramped and small. He couldn’t even settle into it comfortably without crushing Melinda beside him.
Not that she seemed to mind. She snuggled in beside him, flipped open the laptop and started typing.
“Okay,” she said. “First thing we’ll do is set you up with an email account so you can send and receive emails.” She looked up at him. “Do you know about that?”
Liosh shrugged. “I guess. Is it a way of sending communication directly to another person?”
“Uh-huh.” Melinda nodded.
“But…why not just use a Think-me?” Liosh asked, confused.
“A what?” Melinda looked up at him, frowning.
“A device that lets you speak directly into another person’s mind. Look—I’ll show you.”
He got up again and when he came back, he was holding the thin circular wire that enabled thought-transference.
“What’s that?’ Melinda eyed it in apparent confusion.
“A Think-me. It works like this—watch. Or maybe I should say listen.”
Liosh adjusted the thin gold wire around his temples like a kind of crown and thought at her,
“Hello, my Lady Melinda.”
“Oh!” Melinda nearly jumped off the loveseat. She put a hand to her temple. “Oh, my goodness! Was that you speaking inside my head?”
“Yes, it was,” Liosh thought at her. “Do you like it?”
“I’m not sure…” She looked at the thin wire wonderingly. “It’s certainly a lot faster and more convenient than texting or email. Can I try it? I mean, would it work for me?”
“Of course. Here.”
Liosh took the Think-me off his own head and adjusted it on Melinda’s temples instead. The thin wire shrunk automatically to fit her and soon it was snugly in place.
“Now what?” she asked, looking up at him.
“Now just…think at me,” Liosh told her. “Concentrate on me and send your thoughts into my head. It’s called be-speaking,” he added. “Sending your thoughts to someone, I mean.”
“Be-speaking,” she murmured. Then she closed her eyes and appeared to concentrate.
After a moment Liosh got the strong feeling that someone was trying to communicate with him. He opened up to the communication and heard Melinda say,
“Hi, Liosh—can you hear me?”
Her mental voice was as soft and shy as her physical one and he liked the intimacy of hearing it in his head.
“Yes, I can,” he said softly, knowing she could hear his words both in her mind and with her ears since the Think-me enabled thought transference in both directions. “Think something else at me,” he urged.
“Oh, what should I think?” he heard Melinda thinking to herself. She was new to thought communication so she hadn’t learned to clear her mind and concentrate on only the things she wanted to say.
“Should I tell him he smells good? No—that’s too embarrassing. Maybe I should say I want to go take a bath. But what if he feels like he needs to help me? I don’t know how I feel about him seeing me naked. I mean, he says he likes plus-sized girls but does he really? And even if he does, I’m shy about letting him see me. He might get the wrong idea and think I want him to try something and that’s no good because nothing can ever happen between us. Oh, I wish it could, though! He smells so good. Wish I could climb in his lap and just cuddle him and smell him all night. Is that weird? Wanting to smell him? He’d probably think so—I better not say that.”
Liosh frowned. Obviously she didn’t know that her thoug
hts weren’t private. She must think that he could only hear the things she intentionally “sent” to him and she didn’t know her entire stream-of-consciousness was coming through loud and clear over the Think-me.
He didn’t want her to know he’d just heard all her inner-most thoughts so Liosh cleared his throat.
“Melinda?” he asked aloud.
“Oh, sorry—I was trying to decide what to say,” she said apologetically. “Um—here goes.”
“Hi again!” she sent to him. “This is really weird but it’s cool too. Thank you for sharing the Kindred technology with me.”
Liosh smiled at her as she removed the Think-me.
“You’re welcome, Melinda. It’s the least I can do when you’re sharing Earth technology with me.” He nodded at her forgotten laptop.
Melinda made a face. “Oh, but after the uh, Think-me thing, the Internet looks like nothing! Oh well…” She sighed. “Where were we? Right—let’s get you an email address…”
She tapped at the keyboard in silence for a minute, giving Liosh time to think about the candid inner monologue he’d overheard. He wasn’t surprised she was shy about him seeing her naked—they had only just met, after all, and Melinda seemed like a very modest female. He was also determined to help her get a bath if she wanted one. He could keep his eyes closed and lower her into the tub if necessary.
As for her thinking that he smelled good, the explanation for that was simple. His fangs had sharpened for her, which meant he must also be exuding his Mating Scent.
When a Kindred warrior found the female his body wanted to bond with, it tailor-made a pheromone-based scent exactly formulated to lure her to him. It wasn’t done on purpose or with any intentional forethought—it just naturally happened when a Kindred found his perfect female—the one the Goddess had set aside only for him. He could no more turn it off than he could make his fangs become blunt again—it was just a fact of life.
And that’s what Melinda is for me, Liosh thought, running the golden wire of the Think-me between his hands as he watched her work. She’s the one the Goddess set aside for me—I know it.
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