by Nora Nolan
Ava was swept up in the kisses. She wanted to get lost in them, just feel his mouth. Just feel the warmth, the sweet taste, feel the nip of his teeth and the roughness of his tongue. She wanted to be lost in the feel of the heavy desire mounting up deep down inside her.
He put his arms around her and pulled her more tightly to him, letting her feel his arousal. She moaned, and suddenly her mind filled with more sights and sounds of the two of them together. They were both naked, on a bed, but not her bed, and not in her room. It was as though she watched them from above, hovering off to their side. Dan knelt above her, holding her arms with his hands while his legs held hers immobile. The Ava in the vision cried out, begging for more, begging for Dan to take her.
Real life Dan placed Ava’s legs around his waist and broke the kiss. He carried her to the couch, each hand cupping a butt cheek, and sat down, with her astride his lap. “This is even better, don’t you think?”
Ava answered with an urgent kiss. Dan pulled her in close, then pulled her hair away from the back of her neck to unzip her dress. He reached his right hand in to unhook her bra before bringing his hands back in front of her, feeling her breasts through the loose layers of fabric as she moaned into the kiss. He reached up to her shoulders and slowly drew the dress down and off her arms, revealing the loose bra. His hands began at her waist and slowly worked up her sides, under the bra, letting his thumbs tease her nipples.
Ava pulled away slightly and yanked the bra off, tossing it behind her, over her head. The dress followed. Dan chuckled at her as she worked furiously unbuttoning his shirt, and she managed to pull the front of it out of his pants. He pulled it the rest of the way off and tossed it on top of her discarded clothes. She admired his bare shoulders and chest and arms, letting her hands wander over them. He stopped touching her and sat quietly, giving her a chance to learn his body.
After a few moments, he eyed her up and down. “Tell me these aren’t your favorite panties.” He didn’t give her a chance to answer. His hands went to each side in turn, ripping them apart, then she felt him draw the tattered remains from under her. He smiled at her. “I’ll buy you more.”
She leveled him a mischievous look, only briefly wondering how he was able to rip elastic apart with his hands. He must have very strong hands.
“This isn’t fair,” she play-pouted. “I’m naked and you’re still half-dressed.”
She felt the muscles of his thighs below her move and shift for a bit.
“There. I took off my shoes and socks. Is that better?”
“Not much!” She laughed. She didn’t press it, though, and leaned in, lying against his chest. “This feels nice.”
“Yes, it does,” he whispered. His hands stroked her back and arms.
“Dan, I need to tell you something before we go further.”
“No need to. I know.”
“No, you can’t already know this. I need to tell you that-”
“That you’re not experienced with these things.”
She pulled away from him. “How can you know? Am I that bad at it?”
He burst out laughing. “Oh, hell no! You’re wonderful, and a helluva kisser, too, I might add.” His laughter died down to a smile, and he took her small hands in his. “There’s something I need to tell you, too, before we go further.”
“Yeah? I’m pretty sure it’s not the same thing I was going to tell you.”
“All right, you got me there. But still, there is something I want you to know. I’m not married, and never have been. I never found a woman who made me want that kind of lasting relationship. And I would never treat a woman or a relationship lightly.”
“So, no love ‘em and leave ‘em? No one night stands?”
“Darlin, I’ve had more one night stands than I care to admit. But they were never with anyone who wanted more than that from me, and I never wanted more from them. This is the part I want you to know, so pay attention.” He dropped her hands and held her face for emphasis. She felt the heat, even hotter this time. “I don’t want a one night stand with you. When I take you into your bedroom, we’re going to do something that can’t be undone. I won’t be able to give back the precious thing I’ll take from you. I don’t take that lightly, and I don’t want you to, either. I want a real relationship with you, Ava. If you can’t commit to that, tell me now. I’ll leave and not bother you again.”
“But- oh, Dan. How can you know me that well after only a few hours? What if you get to know me better and find out you don’t like me after all?”
“I’m very good at reading people, and I do know you. Besides, if the basics are there like kindness, trust, and,” he gave her nose a tweak, “a wicked sense of humor, then we can overcome any problems.”
She eyed him with a bit of suspicion. “Your words sound like you’re playing me, but I get the sense you aren’t. I like to think I have all those qualities.”
“You do. In the interest of full disclosure, though, this rockin’ hot body of yours doesn’t hurt, either.” The last comment was made as he played with her nipple with his left hand, while his right thumb found a lower target.
“You’re making it hard for me to think.”
“No, darlin, I want you to know what you’re in for with me. Expect a lot of this.”
“What, I’ll be your sex slave or something?”
He laughed. “No, but we can play that whenever you want to.”
“Can we play it where you’re my sex slave?”
“Hell, yeah.”
She couldn’t conceal her broad smile. “Well, you know, I’d hate for us to get bored with the same old thing. Oh… Uh, umm, Dan, your thumb, I don’t think I can, I mean, I think I’m about to…”
He increased his pressure and watched until she bucked and threw her head back, loudly crying out “Oh!” and calling his name. Ava collapsed into his chest again.
“Well, looks like I got myself a screamer. Cool.”
She chuckled, still a little breathless. “Dan, honey, I think we should take your pants off now.”
He squeezed her and looked at her excitedly. “Are you sure darlin? You should know, once together, my people mate for life. Are you ready for this?”
“Your people?” She smirked.
“Why yes,” he said, now amused. “A whole race of us.”
“And where are your people from?”
“A small planet in a faraway galaxy.”
She snickered. “You can’t take me away from here, you know. I’d never agree to be away from Zoe.”
“No problem, darlin. Glen’s from there, too.”
She loved that he had this funny, whimsical bent. “Well then, I think you’d better take me to the bedroom and let’s get those pants off.”
Chapter 6: The Women
Sally McAllister still rode a high she felt because of Sam. She was enthralled. He’d called her again today, Sunday. Ridiculous as it sounded even to herself, she’d fallen hopelessly in love in a little over a day’s time. Until he called, she’d been afraid to tell anyone about him, or even think there might be a future for them.
Her bestie’s phone number was the first one on her speed dial list. She and Zoe had been close for years. Sally didn’t have a sister, but she didn’t think she could be closer to a sister than she was to Zoe. They might as well be sisters. Sometimes Zoe’s sister Ava joined them, and she fit right in, too. They got along beautifully and genuinely loved each other.
Late Sunday night, she decided to finally share her happy news with Zoe. She punched the speed dial code and eagerly awaited an answer. A particularly upbeat-sounding Zoe answered.
“Hey lady, how’s it going?”
“Zo, I’ve got news. Big news. Stupendous news. You-won’t-believe-it kind of news.”
“Okay, your news first, then you have to listen to my own you-won’t-believe-it news.”
She laughed. “Oh, girl, I hope you had the same kind of weekend I did. Every woman in the free world needs a weekend like
I just had.”
“I bet I can top yours, but go ahead. Dazzle me.”
“I’m in love. Sam is the hottest, hunkiest man on this planet, and he’s mine. It’s almost magical, the way it happened.”
Zoe was curious, since she thought her own weekend held a little magic, too. “Okay, so tell me about this Sam guy.”
“Well, I was coming out of the grocery store late Friday afternoon and saw an ad on the bulletin board that caught my eye. The way the sun was shining in on it made it look like there was an optical illusion – it looked like it gave off light and was swirly. But you know, it was just a paper ad. Anyway, it drew me to it. Like it was drawing me straight to Sam. I’m telling you, it pulled me in like magic. I told you when you called Friday that I was having some repair work done on the house. Until I saw that ad, I had no plans to get it done anytime soon. I just felt compelled to call him.”
Zoe hesitated before speaking. “Okay, so, you’re in love with your handyman now?” She put down her tea and listened intently, remembering Glen’s ad on Facebook.
“I sure am, Zo. There’s such an indescribable heat between us, it’s unbelievable. I’ve never felt this way before.”
She waited for Zoe to respond.
“Zoe? Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Because my air conditioner went out on Saturday, and I fell in love with my handyman, too. Same thing. He’s incredible and sizzling hot. Not only that, but-”
Zoe heard the alert for another call coming in. “Oh, that’s Ava calling.”
“Great! Conference her in.”
“Okay, hold on, but prepare yourself for her news, too.” Zoe punched a couple of keys.
“Av, are you there?”
“Yep.”
“Good. Sally – still with us?”
“We’re all here. Now what is it about your news and Ava’s?”
Ava answered with a giggle in her voice. “We both have new men in our lives, Sal. Grownups. Men. Real men. Very big, strong men. They have tools and know how to use them.”
“No way. Are you telling me we’re all three in love with handymen – after one weekend?”
“Looks like it,” Zoe replied.
“Fuck me! What are the odds? Can it be coincidence?”
“Well, I don’t know. Glen wanted to go out with me Saturday night, but Ava and I already had plans. So he said he’d bring his buddy and we’d double, and that’s how Dan entered into it for Ava. So… are we actually wondering if Glen and Dan know Sam and might be connected with him somehow? Is there something subversive going on, or we all three just that lucky?”
“I refuse to believe there’s anything nefarious going on. Sam is perfect. Tall, dark, and handsome. And I mean tall. Over seven feet tall. Seven plus feet of sexy.”
“Sweet Lord, Sal. Let’s meet for happy hour tomorrow after work at McCool’s. We need to talk.”
“Don’t tell me…”
“Yeah. Over seven feet tall, or thereabouts. I don’t know for sure. Giants. Hunky giants.”
“This can’t be.” Sally took a deep breath. “Okay, see you both tomorrow.”
“Luvyabye,” Ava said, not quite as enthusiastically as usual.
“Luvyabye,” Sally said uncertainly.
“Yeah,” Zoe finished with a sigh. “Luvyabye.” Hers was the saddest.
* * *
Sally clicked the red hang-up button on her phone and dropped it on the pillow next to her. Just the night before, Sam’s head had lain there. She fought the urge to call him, not wanting to sound like a maniac so soon into their relationship. Surely, there’s an explanation for all this. Of course, logically, there must be. There always is. But really, wtf could it be? What are the odds that three seven plus foot tall hunky handymen would find her and two of her besties in the same weekend and fall in love? Did hell just freeze over? Are pigs flying?
Thoughts of Sam filled her mind. His kiss, his touch, and the intimacy they shared. No, dammit, it’s real! I’m not being played. I know it’s real. But there are so many questions to be answered. It’s real, and it’s true. I choose to believe it is.
With that resolve, she drifted off to sleep, and had very sweet dreams of Sam.
* * *
The next day Sally went about her normal work routine, but she did a piss poor job of it, and she knew it. She quit trying sometime in the middle of the afternoon and let herself sink into the possibilities, all of them bad. She needed her gang.
Taking out her cell phone, she typed out a group text to Ella and Cheryl.
Sally: Happy hour at McCool’s today. Be there.
Almost instantly, she got replies.
Ella: Perfect! Can’t wait to tell you guys about my weekend. Alan is GONE and I have a new hero. Literally! He probably saved my life.
Cheryl: Glad Alan Asswipe is history, girlie! I have a new hero, too, and OMG. I mean, O.M.G! Can’t wait to dish. You WILL NOT believe…
Sally shook her head at the replies. WTF?
Chapter 7: The Men
“Okay, men, first, let’s confirm that our advance team’s research paid off, especially since pair-bonding has already taken place,” Sam said as he looked around the table at Mark, Paul, Glen, and Dan.
“I’ll go first,” Glen said. “They came through for me. Zoe is definitely mine. She’s got a kinky bent, so I shouldn’t have to use much persuasion to introduce her to what she’ll face in our marriage. She’s close to her sister, so as long as Ava goes, Zoe won’t have a problem going with us. But I can handle her if she does. I’m very happy with her.”
Dan laughed. “Oh, Ava’s going to be willing to go, all right. She said as much when she thought I was joking. The seed’s been sewn in her mind, and I didn’t have to do much to plant it there. A little image infusion helped. I’m sure she’ll go anywhere I lead her.”
Dan stood to make his way to the replicator and punched the shortcut button for a fresh cup of coffure, then sat back down with the golden brown liquid already up to his lips.
They were in the galley of their ship, their home away from their home planet. A huge table dominated the open area, with several empty chairs in addition to the ones they occupied.
“Ella’s perfect for me.” Mark offered, smiling. “And she did that same thing, thinking I was joking about us now being married in my culture. I look forward to seeing her response when she finds out it wasn’t a joke. She’s always wanted to be rescued, and I’m happy to do it.” His grin was wicked. “She’s very grateful,” he said, raising one eyebrow, his tone implying just how grateful she was, and how he might expect her to express that gratitude in the future. Then he laughed. “She was so cute. Thought I was joking about being tribe chieftain and making laws she’d have to obey.”
“Cheryl’s into spanking, so I think she’ll take to life as my mate just fine. I did have to use some image infusion with her, too, and it worked perfectly. She’s definitely submissive. I don’t foresee any problems with her that I can’t handle,” Paul said, also grinning wickedly. “I instilled in her a healthy fear of my belt, without even using it on her yet. Damn, it was hot.”
Sam agreed that Sally was the perfect match for him. “Same here. We stayed pretty vanilla, but she’s hooked. She won’t be hard to train at all.”
They all chuckled in agreement, since they’d each experienced a variation of the same. Mark brought them back to the business at hand. “Gentlemen, I think we can all agree this was a most enjoyable weekend, but we need to move on.”
“Easy for you to say,” Paul interjected. “I actually had to do most of that work manually since she was awake.”
“Oh, poor you. And just how many times did you spank and fuck her?”
Paul grinned. “All right, all right, I guess it was a pretty good weekend. And hell, more fun’s coming in the next few days. But now, we need to move on. What’s next?”
Sam looked at each of them. “Down to business. They’ve begun to suspect something’s up, but haven’
t had a chance to discuss it fully with each other yet. That comes this afternoon around 5:30 at a bar called McCool’s. We need to crash their party before they have a chance to compare notes and run like hell. This is what we planned for, what we knew would happen. We need to explain things in a way that makes them believe us right off, and to do that, we have to remember how earth women think. They’ve been disappointed and broken-hearted before. Mark, yours has even been abused. Be sensitive to that. We want them to love us and come with us willingly. Only as a last resort will we take them by force. Everybody got that?”
They all nodded in assent.
“So, how are we going to approach them this afternoon? Will there be five seven-and-a-half-foot-tall men walking into the bar at the same time? You don’t think that’ll draw attention?” Dan was curious.
“It will,” Sam considered, “but that’s preferable to having us come in individually a few minutes apart. “That’s just asking for trouble. Maybe they’ll assume we’re basketball players.”
“All right, so let’s cover the part about getting them on the ship.” Paul said, wanting to nail it down. “At some point when Sam gives the signal, we’ll get the girls outside in the back of the parking lot, making sure we’re touching our women. Then we all beam at the same time so nobody can run if they get scared. Got it?”
A chorus of “Got it” went up.
Chapter 8: The Revelation
Sally and Ella arrived at the bar at the same time, ahead of the others. They snagged a table that was near the front, in an anteroom that offered quite a bit of privacy. The room had once been the front desk and office when the building began its life as a full serve service station sixty-something years prior. The two of them decided to hold off on any substantive conversation until all five of them were present.
Cheryl arrived next, followed by Zoe and Ava who had ridden together. Once they’d ordered drinks, Sally took the lead. All five of them had the same fearful twinges in their guts that this wasn’t going to end well, and they’d been duped. And dumped.