by Anna Zaires
Quietly approaching the room, she was startled when the heavy doors abruptly slid open in front of her, revealing its occupants and exposing her to their eyes.
Korum and two other Ks stood around a large table that had some kind of a three-dimensional image displayed on it. At the sight of her, Korum waved his hand and the image vanished, leaving only a smooth wooden surface.
Mia froze as three pairs of alien eyes examined her.
The expression on Korum’s face was cold and distant, unlike anything she’d seen before. The other male K, about Korum’s height, had brown hair and hazel eyes, with a similarly golden skin tone. The female was a bit lighter-skinned, closer to Jessie’s color, and the silky hair streaming down to her waist was an unusual shade of dark red. Her eyes were nearly black and looked enormous in her strikingly beautiful face. She was also tall, probably close to 5’9”, and wore a dress that looked like it had been poured on her curves. She could have easily stepped off the pages of an old Victoria’s Secret catalogue – if they had first air-brushed the image, of course.
Standing there in her bath robe, Mia felt like a naughty child getting caught stealing from a cookie jar.
There was no help for it. She cleared her throat, heart pounding in her chest. “Um, hi. I was just looking for the kitchen –”
A small smile appeared on Korum’s face, warming up his features, and his distant look vanished. “Of course,” he said, “you must be hungry.”
He turned toward his visitors. “Mia, these are my . . . colleagues,” he said, seeming to hesitate slightly at the last word, “Leeta and Rezav.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Mia said politely, eyeing them with caution.
She had a strong impression that those two were not happy to see her. Leeta stared back, her beautiful mouth pinched with dislike. Rezav was a bit friendlier, curving his lips in a half-smile and inclining his head graciously toward her. Speaking to Korum, he asked him something in their language, to which Korum absently nodded in response.
“Okay, well, I didn’t mean to intrude,” Mia apologized, her pulse roaring in her ears. “I’ll leave you to your work.”
Korum gestured toward the kitchen. “Feel free to grab some fruit or whatever you wish. I’ll join you soon.”
With a muttered thanks, Mia escaped as fast as her shaking legs could carry her.
Entering the kitchen, she sank down on one of the chairs, hugging herself protectively. Her head spun in a sickening manner, and her stomach churned with nausea.
Because in Rezav’s question, spoken entirely in Krinar, Mia had caught one familiar word: charl.
* * *
By the time Korum came to the kitchen, Mia had managed to compose herself.
At his entrance, she gave him a small smile and continued eating her blueberries as though she had not a care in the world – as though she had not just heard him confirm her worst fears.
He came toward her and bent down, thoroughly kissing her mouth. For the first time, Mia simply endured his touch, the bile in her stomach too strong to allow her normal sexual response.
She didn’t know why she’d needed this confirmation. For the most part, she had believed John when he’d told her about the Ks and their atavistic approach to human rights. Yet some small part of her must have been clinging to the hope that John was mistaken – that Korum would feel differently about her, that she was somehow special in his eyes.
To hear him admit that she was his glorified sex slave – his human pet – was like being punched repeatedly in the stomach.
If he had treated her with cruelty from the very beginning, it would have been easy to hate him. Instead, his arrogance toward her was often tempered with tenderness – and that made the whole thing so much worse. Despite her better judgment and common sense, he had succeeded in getting under her skin, and today’s revelation felt like the cruelest of betrayals.
Sensing her lack of response, he pulled away and frowned slightly. “What’s the matter?” he asked, perplexed. “Are you feeling all right?”
Mia’s brain worked quickly. It would be dangerous for her – and for the Resistance – if he knew she had understood Rezav’s question. However, she couldn’t hide the fact that she was upset – Korum was too astute for that. Suddenly, a risky but brilliant idea came to her.
“I’m fine,” she said with quiet dignity, obviously lying.
“Uh-huh,” Korum said sarcastically, “sure you are.”
Sitting down next to her, he lifted her chin toward him so he could look into her eyes. “Now tell me again what’s going on.”
Mia felt a furious tear escape. “Nothing,” she told him angrily.
“Mia,” he said her name in that special tone he reserved for intimidating her. “Stop lying to me.”
Staring directly into his beautiful eyes, Mia channeled all of her frustrated fury and irrational feelings of betrayal into her next words. “How often do you fuck her?” she threw at him, summoning up remembered feelings of jealousy at his familiarity with Ashley the hostess. “In general, how many women do you go through in any given day? Two, three, a dozen?”
At the surprised look on his face, she continued, injecting as much bitterness into her tone as possible, “Why are you even forcing me to be here if you have her? And Ashley, and God knows how many others?”
Still holding her chin with his fingers, Korum said slowly, “Are you talking about Leeta? You think we’re somehow involved?”
Mia allowed another tear to slide down her face. “Aren’t you?”
He shook his head. “No. In fact, we’re actually distant cousins, so that would be an impossibility.”
“Oh,” Mia said, pretending to be embarrassed about her outburst. She tried to pull away, and he let her go, watching as she got up and walked over to the window, carelessly wiping her face with the robe sleeve.
Mia stood there, looking out over the Hudson. Some stupidly romantic part of her was foolishly glad to hear about Leeta, even though her little jealousy act had been designed to throw him off track. She didn’t say anything when he came up to her, embracing her from behind. He didn’t make any promises or offer any other clarifications, Mia noticed. Of course, why should he try to reassure her, to convince her that she meant something special to him when she clearly didn’t? She wouldn’t have been particularly concerned about her dog’s feelings either.
“I’m thinking of going for a walk in the park,” he murmured, still holding her close. “Would you like to come with me?”
She was to be given a choice? What would happen if she said no? “I don’t know,” she said. “I have some studying that needs to get done, and I wanted to catch up with my parents. Wednesday is usually our day to Skype . . .”
She couldn’t see his expression, and she was glad about that. Now he would show his true colors, she thought.
“Okay,” he said, “that sounds good.”
Mia blinked, surprised. Then he continued, “For tonight, I made us a reservation at Le Bernardin at 7 p.m. I’ll pick you up at 6:30. Since you don’t seem to have any nice clothes, I’ll have something appropriate sent to your apartment.”
Now that was the dictator she knew – and now truly hated.
“I don’t need any clothes,” Mia protested. “I have better dresses. I just didn’t wear them that time.”
Turning her around in his arms, he looked down and smiled. “Mia, no offense, but I haven’t seen you wear a single piece of clothing that was in any way flattering. You’re a very pretty girl, but your clothes make you look like a ten-year-old boy most of the time. I think it’s safe to say that dressing nicely is not one of your strengths.”
Mia flushed with anger and embarrassment, but decided to hold her tongue. If he wanted to dress her up like a doll, then let him. It was hardly the worst thing he would likely do to her, anyway.
At the mutinous expression on her face, his smile got wider and his eyes gleamed with gold. Lifting her by the waist, he brought her up toward
him and kissed her again. His lips were softly searching on hers, and his tongue stroked the recesses of her mouth with such expertise that Mia felt a spark of desire kindling again. Relieved that she no longer had to act, she looped her arms around his neck, let her mind go blank, and focused on the sensations. Her body, already so used to his touch, reacted with animal instinct, and she kissed him back with all the passion she could muster.
At her response, he groaned and pressed her closer to him, grinding his hips against her and letting her feel the hard bulge that had developed in his pants. Mia’s insides clenched, and she found herself rubbing against his body like a cat in heat. All of a sudden, he was no longer satisfied with just kissing. Mia felt the shift of gravity as he lay her down on the table, her butt near the edge and legs hanging over the side. Stepping between her open legs, Korum pulled apart her robe with impatient hands. Before she even realized his intentions, he already had his jeans unzipped and was pushing his penis into her opening.
Mia was wet, but not enough, and he could only get the tip inside her before she cried out in pain. Pulling out, he lowered himself to a squatting position, his head between her spread thighs, and licked her labia with his tongue, spreading moisture around her entrance. She arched, blindsided by the sudden intensity, and he pushed his finger inside her, rubbing the sensitive spot until her inner muscles spasmed uncontrollably. Before the pulsations even stopped, he was already over her, pressing his thick penis to her opening and pushing it inside in a slow, agonizing slide.
Mia writhed beneath him, little cries escaping from her throat as her vagina tried to expand around his cock. Despite the orgasm, his penetration was far from easy, and she could see the strain on his face from the effort it took him to go slowly.
There was no pain this time – just an uncomfortable feeling of invasion and extreme fullness. He felt too big, his penis like a heated pipe entering her body. Yet there was a promise of something more behind the discomfort. He continued his inexorable advance, and Mia gasped as her vaginal muscles gave way, allowing him to bury his full length inside her. He paused, letting her adjust to the unfamiliar sensation, and then pulled out slowly and pushed back in. A wave of heat rushed through her veins as his cock rubbed that same sensitive spot, and she cried out from the intense pleasure, digging her nails into his shoulders.
At the feel of her sharp nails on his skin, the last shred of his restraint seemed to dissolve. With a low growl, he began thrusting in a deep, driving rhythm, each stroke of his cock pushing her back and forth on the slick table. Somewhere in the distance, a woman’s cries seemed to echo his thrusts, and Mia vaguely realized that she was that woman. Every cell in her body screamed for completion, for relief from the terrible tension that was gripping her every muscle and tendon, and then it was suddenly there – a climax so powerful that it seemed to tear her asunder, leaving her bucking uncontrollably in his arms even as he reached his own peak with a guttural roar.
Chapter 8
Mia walked back to her apartment, desperately needing some alone time before she faced Jessie and her questions.
She felt raw and emotional, filled with self-loathing. Rationally, she knew that responding to him that way made her task easier and more tolerable. It would have been infinitely worse if she had found him repulsive or had to pretend to feel passion where there was none. However, the romantic teenager buried deep inside her was weeping at the perversion of her love story. There was no hero in her romance, and the villain made her feel things that she had never imagined she could experience.
After he had finished fucking her on the kitchen table, he carried her back to the bathroom and gently cleaned her off. He then allowed her to get dressed and go home, with a parting kiss and an admonition to be dressed and ready by 6:30 p.m. Mia had meekly agreed, wanting nothing more than to get away, her body still throbbing in the aftermath of the episode.
She debated how much to tell Jessie. The last thing she wanted was to drag her into this whole mess. Then again, Jessie was already involved through Jason, and one could argue that she’d made things worse for Mia by unintentionally bringing her into the anti-K movement.
Entering the apartment, she was surprised and relieved to find that no one was there. Jessie had to be out studying or running errands.
Sighing, Mia decided to use the quiet time to catch up with her family. The last time she’d spoken to them was last Saturday, which now seemed like a lifetime ago. Her parents likely thought that she was swamped with schoolwork, so they hadn’t bothered her beyond sending a couple of text messages to which Mia had managed to respond with a generic “things r good - luv u.”
She powered on her old computer and saw that her mom was already waiting for her on Skype. Her dad was in the back of the room, reading something. Seeing Mia log in, a big smile broke out on her mom’s face.
“Sweetie! How are you? We haven’t heard from you all week!”
If there was one thing that Mia was grateful to the Ks for, it was the impact they’d had on her parents and other middle-aged Americans across the nation. The new K-mandated diet had done wonders for her parents’ health, reversing her father’s diabetes and drastically lowering her mom’s abnormally high cholesterol levels. Now in their mid-fifties, her parents were thinner, more energetic, and younger-looking than she remembered them ever being in the past.
Mia grinned at the camera with pleasure. The worst thing about being in New York was seeing her parents so infrequently. Although she went back home every chance she got – flying to Florida for spring break was hardly a chore – she still missed them. One day, she hoped to move closer to them, perhaps once she’d finished grad school.
“I’m good, mom. How are things with you guys?”
“Oh, you know, same old – all the news are with you youngsters these days. Have you spoken to your sister yet?”
“Not yet,” said Mia, “why?’
Her mom’s smile got really big. “Oh, I don’t know if I should tell you. Just call her, okay?”
Mia nodded, dying of curiosity.
“How are things in school? Did you finish your paper?” her mom asked.
Mia barely remembered the paper at this point. “The paper? Oh, yeah, the Sociology paper. I finished it on Sunday.”
“You’ve had more papers since then?” Her mom asked disapprovingly. Without waiting for a response, she continued, “Mia, honey, you study way too hard. You’re twenty-one – you should be going out and having fun in the big city, not sitting holed up in that library. When is the last time you had a date?”
Mia flushed a little. This was an old argument that came up more and more frequently these days. For some reason, unlike every other parent out there who would love to have a studious and responsible daughter, her mom fretted about Mia’s lack of a social life.
Mia tried to imagine her parents’ reaction if she told them just how active her dating life had been in the past week. “Mom,” she said with exasperation, “I go on dates. I just don’t necessarily tell you all about it.”
“Yeah, right,” her mom said disbelievingly. “I remember perfectly well the last date you went on. It was with that boy from biology, right? What was his name? Ethan?”
Mia smiled ruefully in response. Her mom knew her too well. Or at least she knew the Mia she’d been prior to last Saturday, when her world had gone topsy-turvy.
“By the way,” her mom said, “you look really nice. Did you do something to your hair?” Turning behind her, she said to Mia’s dad, “Dan, come here and take a look at your daughter! Doesn’t Mia look great these days?”
Her father approached the camera and smiled. “She always looks great. How are you doing, hon? You meet any nice boys yet?”
“Dad,” Mia groaned, “not you too.”
“Mia, I’m telling you, all the good ones get taken early.” Once her mom got on this topic, it was difficult to get her to stop. “One more year for you, and you’re going to be done with college, and then where are
you going to meet a good boy?”
“In grad school, on the street, online, at a party, in a club, in a bar, or at work,” Mia responded by listing the obvious. “Look, mom, just because Marisa met Connor in college does not mean that it’s the only way to meet someone.” One could also meet an alien in the park – she was proof of that.
Her mom shook her head in reproach, but wisely moved on to another topic. They chatted about some other inconsequential things, and Mia learned that her parents were contemplating going on vacation to Europe for their thirtieth wedding anniversary and that her mom’s job search was going well. It was a wonderfully normal conversation, and Mia reveled in it, wanting to remember every moment in case this was the last time she would speak to her parents this way. Finally, she reluctantly said goodbye, promising to call Marisa right away.
Her acting skills must have drastically improved in the last few days, Mia thought. Despite her inner turmoil, her parents hadn’t suspected a thing.
Trying to reach Marisa on Skype was always a little challenging, so she called her cell instead.
“Mia! Hey there, baby sis, how are you? Did you see any of my postings on Facebook?” Her sister sounded incredibly excited.
“Um, no,” Mia said slowly. “Did something happen?”
“Oh my God, you’re such a study-wort! I can’t believe you never go on Facebook anymore! Well, something did happen. You’re going to have a niece or nephew!”
“Oh my God!” Mia jumped up, nearly screaming in excitement. “You’re pregnant?”
“I sure am! Oh, I know you’re going to think I’m too young, and we just got married, and blah, blah, blah, but I’m really excited.”
“No, I think it’s great! I’m very happy for you,” Mia said earnestly. “I can’t believe my favorite sis is having a baby!”
At twenty-nine, Marisa had exactly the kind of life Mia had always hoped to have. She was happily married to a wonderful guy who adored her, lived an hour’s drive away from their parents in Florida, and worked as an elementary school music teacher. And now she had a baby on the way. Her life could not have been more perfect, and Mia was truly glad for her. And if she felt a twinge – okay, more than a twinge – of envy, she would never let it intrude on Marisa’s happiness. It was not her sister’s fault that Mia’s own life had become such a screw-up in the last week.