Tara cuffed his shoulder, her well-plucked brows drawing together in a scowl. “You could have warned me you’d eaten a plateful of garlic-veg last night.”
Laughing, Ekim helped her stand. “I thought it might help keep the reporters away.”
Tara flashed an impish grin. “Well, I have to tell you, it’s not working. The swarms are as big as ever.”
Without warning, the beginnings of a plan crystallized in Ekim’s mind. It might work, but he’d need help from someone trustworthy. Not his family, since none of them were talking to him. But perhaps Tara? He cast a speculative glance in her direction.
“What? Am I drooling? If I am, it’s your fault. Despite the garlic-veg, I’m thinking about jumping you.”
Alarm sprang to life in Ekim, and he backed away from Tara, hands up in a defensive manner. “Not you too.”
Tara burst into laughter. “Joking! You’re too easy, Ekim.”
Which seemed like the whole problem all along, he thought. His plan, formed years ago, to build his fledgling career had spun out of control along with his reputation. He wasn’t easy anymore, and that was his dilemma. The newshounds were making up stories, and his simple plan to success had become a many-headed monster. “Do you have a minute or do you need to go home straightaway?”
Tara linked arms with him. “I’m all yours. Soj is working late.”
“I’ve decided to go to Earth to visit Carly. I need to see her. I need the truth.”
“Now wait a moment.” Tara forced him to a stop by digging in her heels. “I’m not willing to help you if you’re going to go to Earth and harangue the poor girl.”
Ekim narrowed his eyes on Tara. “She sold our story to Nisha Storrisome.”
“Yes, but why? You’d known each other for months. What did you do to her?”
His lips parted and closed. Goddess, she was right. He’d been so pissed with Carly, he hadn’t thought everything through. Carly hated the press. She’d said as much when they visited the temple. Now he thought about it, selling a story was out of character for the Carly he knew.
“Aha! Made you think.”
“I don’t like smug women.”
“Numbskull men aren’t much better.”
Ekim’s lips curled upward in a grudging smile. “Touché.”
“So how can I help you?”
“I need a disguise to get me out of the studio without detection and on a spaceship heading for Earth.”
“You’ve forgotten the first episode of the Nazrat vid-cam is now out on Earth. You’ve always been a pinup boy in this part of the galaxy but now you’re famous on Earth too. Your disguise is going to need to fool Earthlings at the other end until you can get your lady on her own.”
“Any ideas?”
“As it happens, I have a wonderful idea.” Tara led him into her dressing room and closed the door. “Take a seat while I get Magda to help.”
“But—”
“I’d trust Magda with my life,” Tara said, pushing him down into a seat. “Don’t worry. This won’t hurt a bit.”
* * * * *
All went well until Ekim found his seat on the plane. He’d booked top-class, but he still had to share the cabin with other well-heeled passengers.
“Memsaab, allow me to take your bag.” A man with slicked-back hair and a build that screamed his love for food winked at him.
Ekim froze then smiled weakly, remembering Tara’s stern instructions to play this like he’d play any part. Fine, except he hadn’t expected her to deck him out like a female.
“Thanks,” he said in the feminine voice he’d practiced with Tara.
Say little and flash those pearly whites, she’d instructed.
“Take the window seat, memsaab,” the hefty male said. Ekim surveyed his scarlet cheeks, and wrinkled his nose at the stench of cati juice, one of the many alcoholic beverages available on Nidni.
“Thank you.” Ekim inclined his head and smiled again. Not up to Tara’s exacting standards, but grata if he was lowering himself to flirt. He slipped past the man, intending to slide into the seat nearest the window. Without warning, a masculine hand grabbed his butt. Ekim produced a squeak that sounded feminine and he wasn’t even trying.
“I do like a female with a big bottom. Yours is on the skinny side.”
Ekim bit down on his lip to halt his objection. There was nothing wrong with his rear end. He scrambled into his seat before the male could pinch his backside a second time. The gleam in the man’s eyes told Ekim he’d better stick up for himself before the man started groping him again and discovered more than he should, like Rajah.
“Sir, enough!” If the male so much as breathed on him again, he’d slap him. Purely in a feminine way, of course.
“Sir, please take your seat,” a perky blonde seat hostess said.
The spaceship engines droned, and they took off. Ekim feigned sleep for most of the trip to Earth. Tired but determined to see Carly, he headed straight for the Central Station on Continent A, her workplace. The hover-taxi he’d caught from the spaceport lowered into a temporary parking space outside an ugly concrete building.
Ekim paid the fare and climbed out. He strode up the rubbish-strewn steps in front of the building until a whistle from a group of men on the other side of the street reminded him he was a woman—or dressed like one at any rate. Slowing his steps, he reached for the door.
“Let me get that for you, miss.” An arm reached past Ekim to yank open the door. A cop held it for him.
“Thanks,” Ekim said, mincing through in the slow, hip-rolling steps Tara had instructed him to use. The reception area inside was packed with people. An elderly woman sat on a battered wooden bench, her head bowed while she slept. A baby cried incessantly while a young man groaned, a scrap of blood-splattered cloth wrapped around his head. Ekim joined a line waiting for the enquiries desk. Three-quarters of an hour later, he reached the desk.
He smiled at the man handling the enquiries, despite his roiling gut and his impatience. “I’m looking for Carly Abercombie.”
“Fifth floor. Report in at the desk up there. Next.”
Ekim took the stairs. The closer he came to the fifth floor the more nerves jumped in his belly. What would happen if she refused to talk to him? He’d never factored that into his plan. He hesitated, before striding through the doors and heading for the nearest desk. He was here now. He’d make her listen to him—she owed him that much.
“Yes?” The man sitting behind the desk scowled.
“I’m here to see Detective Carly Abercombie,” Ekim said. The man stared at him strangely, and Ekim realized he’d forgotten to stay in his feminine role. He flashed a bright smile and fluttered his lashes the way Tara had showed him.
The man’s distaste never faltered. He nailed Ekim with a glare. “Wait there.”
Before the man took two steps, Carly walked in a door at the far end of the room. Today, she wore a uniform. A slow, appreciative smile spread across Ekim’s lips. Goddess, she looked hot. He loved women in uniform.
“Carly,” he called, before freezing mid-step. Damn, he’d forgotten the female voice again. How the hell was he meant to remember when all he could think of was how hot Carly looked? Aw, shit. Even Rajah was getting into the act. Thank the Goddess, he was wearing a roomy skirt.
Carly’s expression remained blank as she stared at him.
Aware that every cop in the room had stopped to watch, Ekim swallowed. The biggest role of his life, and he was decked out as a female.
“Carly, is there somewhere private we can talk?” There he’d managed a better voice that time.
“Ekim?” Uncertainty shaded her voice along with a touch of vulnerability.
The knowledge he’d hurt her had him striding the remaining distance between them. Damn, he yearned to erase her pain and replace it with a broad smile. He wanted a kiss or two. For an instant, he stared at her, reacquainting himself with her face. Huge purple shadows under her eyes told him she hadn’t bee
n sleeping well. Goddess, he hadn’t either.
Ekim hauled her into his arms and slammed his lips down on hers in a kiss of possession, pouring everything he felt into the kiss.
His frustration.
His need.
His desire.
Good, she was kissing him back. His arms tightened, and he rejoiced in Rajah’s awakening. Expensive drugs and potions weren’t necessary. All he needed was Carly.
It was Ekim.
His arms wrapped around her waist, holding her in a firm grasp. Possessive. And his sinful mouth. That felt…
Suddenly Carly became aware of the catcalls. The whistles. The smart-ass remarks in the background. She yanked away from Ekim with a loud gasp.
“Well, well,” one of the sergeants said. “No wonder you refused me.”
Carly glanced from face to face. She’d turned them down because she didn’t want messy romantic complications in the workplace. Now they circled like sharks, clear in their smug male minds as to why she’d refused them.
“Carly, it’s okay,” Ekim said, smoothing his hand over her cheek in a gesture of comfort.
“Is it?” She couldn’t say much with the big audience of coworkers.
“Carly?” Samuel sounded incredulous. “Do you know this…woman? She’s a friend of the family, right?”
Good old Samuel, trying to find excuses for her lapse. The humor of the situation suddenly struck Carly. Her lips quivered as she realized how this must appear. Ekim’s lipstick looked smudged, probably all over her face. Carly suppressed a giggle. “No. My parents haven’t met…her.”
“Carly is a lesbian,” a voice said from the back. “It’s obvious. Come on, we all saw that kiss.”
Ekim tensed, but Carly stilled his objections by squeezing his shoulder. She straightened and turned to face her colleagues.
“There is nothing wrong with being a lesbian,” she stated, “but as it happens, I’m not.”
“Hard to dispute the evidence in front of us,” the sergeant said. “You were kissing that woman.”
“Pretty ugly woman,” another said.
Carly chuckled. “Take off your blouse and let them see your chest.”
The cops eyed each other uneasily and stepped back as if they wanted to disassociate themselves from this situation.
“Are you sure?” Ekim whispered. “They’ll recognize me. Besides, I’m wearing a bra.”
“Take your wig off then,” Carly said dryly.
Ekim’s brows rose. “If you say so.”
The cops circling them moved back even farther. Carly folded her arms across her chest and watched while Ekim tugged off his brown wig to allow his black hair to fall to his shoulders.
“Bloody hell! That’s…that’s…”
“A friggin’ film star,” the sergeant said. “That explains everything. Why would she bother with the likes of us when she could have his money?”
“You stay away from her,” Samuel snapped. “You might be famous, but you have a lousy reputation. Carly, have you lost your mind? The man has had more women than most men dream about. In his case, he’s bonked them. Nidni’s greatest lover. Shit, Carly. Tell him to fuck off. You don’t need him. You’re just another notch on his bedpost.”
Carly cast an uncertain look at Ekim. It was true he’d lied to her, but he’d come all this way to see her. He must feel something for her to leave Nidni and travel to Earth.
“Looks to me like she’s already succumbed,” the sergeant said in a snide tone. “She’s already a notch.”
Ekim grabbed the sergeant at the same time Samuel did, their hands wrinkling the man’s crisp shirt.
“Let me go,” the sergeant squawked, his eyes bulging and face turning red.
Carly wanted to laugh but manfully held it back. “Let him go, boys. I’m capable of looking out for myself.”
“Remember the time she kneed her date in the balls?” someone whispered sotto voice.
The sergeant paled, and the whole room seemed to draw a collective breath.
“Are you guys gonna hold that against me forever?” Carly demanded. “Never mind.” She took Ekim by the elbow and dragged him toward the door. “I’ll order a cab for you. Here’s the key for my apartment. Wait for me there. We’ll talk.”
Ekim nodded and put the wig back on his head. Carly called to arrange a hover-taxi and minutes later, he was gone.
Carly returned to her desk. Samuel was waiting for her.
“He’s going to hurt you. You’re going to be the same blubbering mess you were a month ago.”
Carly glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone was listening. “We’re going to talk. That’s all.” She tried to ignore the defensive note in her voice, but it was there, and Samuel heard it too.
He cursed, long and loud. “Do what you want,” he muttered. “You’re going to anyway.”
Samuel seemed so sure she was setting herself up for a fall. Doubt crept into her mind. Ekim was famous, and it was true he had a reputation with the ladies. Who did she believe? And secondly, he could have anyone, so why was he interested in a cop who lived for her job? A sharp pain made her realize she was torturing her bottom lip. She had no idea what to do next.
* * * * *
“Why did you give Nisha Storrisome an interview?” Ekim said, the minute she walked in the door of her apartment.
“What?” Carly was pleased to see he’d changed into black trousers—Nidni’s version of jeans—and a white shirt. He had bare feet. The wig and makeup were gone, and he looked so damn sexy, he tempted her to take a bite.
“Carly.” His sharp tone dragged her from her lusty fantasizing. “Why did you sell me out to the newshounds?”
“I didn’t.” She glared at him. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”
Ekim strode over to a bag sitting near her kitchen counter and plucked out a newspaper. He thrust it at her. “Read this.”
Carly unfolded the paper and cringed. Photos of her and Ekim seemed to spring from the page. Thank goodness, her back was to the camera. “Fuck, my butt looks huge.”
Ekim grunted and paced to her window to stare down at the street below.
Carly started reading the accompanying story. “Fuck,” she whispered. “This is full of innuendo. None of it is true.” Carly glanced up to see Ekim had turned and was watching her intently. “It wasn’t me. I had nothing to do with this story. Nothing. A reporter followed me to the airport and offered me a heap of money. I refused.” He had to believe her. Carly glanced down and scanned the rest of the article. “There’s a problem with this story.” Proof of her innocence. There was a God. “I haven’t seen your bare butt yet so I’ve no idea if you have a diamond-shaped birthmark, the color or anything else. If you think back, on the island, all I saw was your front, not your rear end. Someone else told them about the birthmark.”
Ekim blinked. “You’re right. We didn’t get that far, did we?” A slow smile, full of sexual intent and promises, crept across his face, transforming his pensive air to one of seductive. “We’ll have to remedy that.” He prowled toward her as if he intended to do the job immediately, but Carly placed her hand in the middle of his chest to hold him off physical contact.
“Not so fast, buster. I want an explanation. Why didn’t you tell me who you were? I feel like a fool. I should have recognized you. I should have guessed something was going on since you avoided crowds.” Carly caught his discomfort and her eyes narrowed. “There’s more, isn’t there?”
“Yeah.” His shoulders slumped before he straightened with apparent resolve. “You’d better sit down.”
Shit, it had to be bad. Her stomach jumped with apprehension, and she dropped onto a leather chair, her unease multiplying tenfold. Then, it hit her, and she drew in a sharp breath. He was married. “You’re secretly married.”
“No!” He shot her a glare. “I have this…reputation.”
“Yeah. Nidni’s greatest lover. I’d already caught up with some, but the guys filled me in on the rest of th
e gossip before I left work.”
Ekim laughed but the sound held little humor. “I’m practically a virgin,” he stated baldly. “My reputation is greatly embellished.”
Carly’s jaw dropped in shock. “A virgin?” Astonishment yielded swiftly to humor. “You’re joking.”
A virgin. Nah, he was joking. He had to be.
She searched his expression for signs of teasing, but didn’t see so much as a twitch. Slowly, she leaned back in her chair, giving the appearance of relaxation. Inside, the apprehension returned along with an appalling eagerness to strip him of his virginity—if what he was saying was the truth. “Explain, please.”
“My career took off without warning. I starred in a small-budget movie that became very popular with wide distribution. I’d broken up with my girlfriend at the time, and the newshounds wanted to find dirt on me. They interviewed my ex-girlfriend, and she lied. She said I was the greatest lover she’d ever had. Suddenly, I had this reputation. I’m a sex god but haven’t actually had proper sex.”
“But we… You gave me the best oral sex I’ve ever had in my life. How…I mean…” Carly trailed off in confusion.
“I read a lot. But the minute it came to full sexual penetration, I couldn’t…Rajah went limp.”
“Rajah?” Carly chortled and slapped a hand over her mouth to halt the merriment. “You named your penis?”
Ekim scowled, the picture of an affronted male. “So?”
“Um. Never mind.” The newshounds had caught them in the act. He hadn’t had problems then. “But we—”
“I took some argaiv tablets.” He gestured at his groin. “To keep Rajah up.”
“So you did.” Carly’s lips quivered.
“It’s not funny.” He wandered across to the window that overlooked the street and stared out. “It took hours before the pills wore off.”
“You could have just told me the truth.”
“I tried, but it’s not an easy thing for a male to talk about. Grata, someone’s told the reporters I’m here. They’re waiting outside.”
“Well, it wasn’t me.”
“I’m not saying that, but we are stuck here unless we want more publicity.”
Interplanetary Love Page 11